Originally posted by Bluedog
OK, can someone fill me in on this, its not the first I've heard aboot the Kanucks wandering down to DC and trashing the Whitehouse.
So what gives? (or gave, I take it this happened a while back)
Did the US and Canada actually have a war? Why? Who won?
Sort of. Canada didn't exist as a nation state back then. It was a British colony. So the war was really between the Yanks and the Brits. You might no it as the war of 1812. The Americans tried the invade Canada and were more or less trounced. But the US won a crapload of naval battles.
During the war Washington DC was invade and the the Presidential residence was burnt. To cover the burn marks the building was white washed, and has been since know as the "Whitehouse".
Also, at the battle of Detroit the fort there got the absolute bejeasious blown out of it. Some guy wrote a song about it...something about bombs bursting in air...
The war had a lasting effect on Upper Canada (Ontario), and Lower Canada (Quebec) though as we successfully defended our boarders and that was a great source of pride, and they were united against a common foe.
"The War Of 1812" - by The Arrogant Worms
Oh, come back, proud Canadians
To before you had TV,
No hockey night in Canada,
There was no CBC (Oh, my God!).
In 1812, Madison was mad,
He was the president, you know
He thought he’d tell the British where they ought to go
He thought he’d invade Canada,
He thought that he was tough
Instead we went to Washington....
And burned down all his stuff!
And the White House burned, burned, burned,
And we’re the one’s that did it!
It burned, burned, burned,
While the president ran and cried.
It burned, burned, burned,
And things were very historical.
And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies
Waa waa waah!
In the War of 1812!
US hillbillies from Kentucky,
Dressed in green and red,
Left home to fight in Canada,
But they returned home dead
It’s the only war the Yankees lost, except for Vietnam
And also the Alamo... and the Bay of... ham.
The loser was America,
The winner was ourselves,
So join right in and gloat about the War of 1812
And the White House burned, burned, burned,
And we’re the one’s that did it!
It burned, burned, burned,
While the president ran and cried.
It burned, burned, burned,
And things were very historical.
And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies
Waa waa waah!
In the War of 1812!
In 1812, we were just sittin’ around,
Mindin’ our own business, puttin’ crops into the ground.
We heard the soldiers coming and we didn’t like that sound.
So we took a boat to Washington and burned it to the ground.
Oh... we... fired our guns, but the Yankees kept-a coming,
There wasn’t quite as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and the Yankees started running,
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, oh, oh....
They ran through the snow and they ran through the forest,
They ran through the bushes where the beavers wouldn’t go.
They ran so fast, they forgot to take their culture,
Back to America, and Gulf and Texaco
So, if you go to Washington, its buildings clean and nice,
Bring a pack of matches, and we’ll burn the White House twice!
And the White House burned, burned, burned,
But the Americans won’t admit it
It burned, burned, burned,
It burned and burned and burned
It burned, burned, burned,
Now, I bet that made them mad
And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies
Waa waa waah!
In the War of 1812!
You can find out more about the war here...
http://members.tripod.com/~war1812/
