War of 1812: Laura Secord
Laura Secord overhead some American officers’ conversation about a planned attack on the British outpost at Beaver Dams. She then started her famous journey to warn British Lieutenant James Fitzgivvon on June 22nd, 1813. This article examines the War of 1812 heroine, Laura Secord. Laura Ingersoll Secord, heroine of the War of 1812, came to Upper Canada from Massachusetts with her family in 1795. Her father, who had sided with the Patriots during the American revolution, came to Canada in hopes of regaining his lost family fortune. The Ingersolls settled in the Niagara Peninsula and opened a tavern. It was in Niagara that Laura met James Secord, a United Empire Loyalist. Two years after her arrival, Laura and James were married. In the early 1800’s the Secords moved to Queenston from nearby St. David’s. It was from this Queenston homestead that Laura Secord began the journey that has earned her a place in Canadian history.
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In Canada, the name Laura Secord is linked to chocolates and ice cream. But many Canadians are unaware that the famous chocolateer is named for a heroine of the War of 1812. Laura Ingersoll was born in 1775 to a wealthy Massachusetts family. Her father supported the patriot side during the American Revolution and his business prospered during the war. However after Independence, an economic depression left the family in financial difficulty. Laura’s father succumbed to the lure of cheap land in Upper Canada and moved his family across the border. Laura helped to raise her many brothers and sisters following their mother’s death. Laura met her future husband, James Secord, at her father’s tavern in Queenston. Laura and James worked hard together and prospered. By 1812, they had five children, two servants, a modest frame house and ran a successful business selling clothing and household goods.
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On June 22nd, 1813, after overhearing a conversation of some American officers dining at her house, Laura Secord started on her famous journey to warn British Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon of the planned attack on the British outpost at Beaver Dams. This War of 1812 article looks at the amazing Canadian heroine, Laura Secord. Laura Ingersoll was born in 1775 to a well-off Massachusetts family. Her father supported the patriot side during the American Revolution and his business prospered during the war. But after the war, an economic depression left the family in financial difficulty. Laura’s father moved his family to Upper Canada. Laura helped to raise her many brothers and sisters following their mother’s death.
Read MoreThe War of 1812 in Canada Summary for Kids
In the end we ask who won and who lost the War of 1812. The clear loser in this conflict without any doubt is the Native People of North America. In the summer of 1815, the United States signed fifteen treaties with the tribes, guaranteeing their status as of 1811. But it did not return an acre of land. The dream of the Indian state never came true. If any one could claim victory it was Canada. The United States declared war on Great Britain and set out to make Canada states in the union. Ten American armies crossed into Canada and all were driven out.
Read MoreThe War of 1812 Facts for Kids
Tecumseh was born in 1768. He was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy that opposed the United States during the War of 1812. Tecumseh attempted to stop the advance of white settlement into the Old Northwest. Tecumseh believed that Aboriginal peoples must return to their traditional ways, forgetting intertribal rivalries and holding onto land that all Aboriginals held in common. Tecumseh joined the British against the Americans in the War of 1812. His support for Major-General Sir Isaac Brock at the capture of Detroit was decisive. Before the British approach, Tecumseh’s warriors showed themselves in a never-ending line to the Americans. The warriors at the head of the line doubled back to join the end of the line and it appeared to the American General that he was besieged by a massive force of warriors. This manoeuvre convinced the American General to surrender to avoid a massacre after Brock allegedly warned that the large support from Tecumseh’s warriors would be beyond his control once a conflict had begun.
Read MoreBattles of the War of 1812: Sir Isaac Brock
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock was born in St Peter Port, Guernsey, England, on October 6, 1769. He was a British Army officer who was stationed in Canada in the early 1800s. His early attempts to prepare the province of Upper Canada for war were frustrating, especially in dealing with the Legislative Council in Upper Canada. With the declaration of the war in 1812, Brock initiated an aggressive campaign even though he was advised by his superiors to remain on the defensive.
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