HiSTORY: The War of 1812 (the other one)

This makes a good banner!

I’ve been enjoying BBC R4’s In Our Time podcasts, whilst convalescing. The latest one I listened to addresses the ‘War of 1812.’ Not Napoleon’s disastrous Franco-Russian one, but ‘the other one’; Britain vs The USA.

This post isn’t about what I think about that podcast. It’s just an image gallery on the subject. Something to whet the appetite for poss’ further exploration.

After that evocative gallery of colourful pictures, here are some black or white (or near monotone) images:

And next, some more overtly propagandist type stuff; mostly (but not all) satirical prints.

And of course there was a very large naval aspect to this conflict…

And then there are the many books on the subject:

For Britain and America it was, it would seem, a largely very pointless coda – changing very little – to the AWI. Perhaps just sealing some kind closure, re America’s cutting of the umbilical cord with Europe, in general, and Britain in particular?

Whereas, for the indigenous peoples of the continent, it was an unmitigated disaster.

Shawnee leader, Tecumseh, c. 1812
Tecumseh’s death, Battle of the Thames, 1813.

It’s definitely a topic I’d like learn more about. Speaking of which, one might start here, with the NAM…

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