War of 1812 bicentennial is a big deal – in Canada
Canadians, who consider the war a pivotal conflict in their nation's history, have made 200th anniversary celebrations a national priority and are opening government coffers to stage a splashy show. Also, a few American cities and states, mostly on the East Coast and Great Lakes where fighting took place, are planning commemorations that have some brushing off their war reenactment uniforms
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"It was very much a war of independence and is seen as one of the defining chapters in Canadian history," said Ron Dale, War of 1812 bicentennial project manager for Parks Canada. To celebrate the military achievement, the Canadian government plans to spend at least $28 million on activities, including televised war vignettes and battle reenactments.
"It's a much bigger deal up here," said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Assn. for Canadian Studies.
Canada would not exist had the American invasions of 1812-1814 not been defeated," said Lyle Williams, a spokesman for Niagara-on-the-Lake War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee.
"The war linked the disparate British provinces in shared danger against a common enemy and eased the way for confederation, the establishment of the Dominion of Canada five decades later in 1867," said Dale of Parks Canada. "Canadians take pride in their victories against overwhelming odds during the conflict but also applaud the postwar results
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-war-of-1812-20120226,0,1530198.story
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