Y'all may recall that in the War of 1812, America fought the British empire (including Canada) over a variety of issues. The White House and much of the rest of Washington, D.C. was burned down during the war. As Black History Month is approaching its end, the president of the Ontario (Canada) Black History Society opines about the black Canadian role in this war: "The Coloured Corps, as it was also known, fought key battles, including
Fort George, Stoney Creek, St. Davids and Lundy’s Lane. They were among
the first reinforcements at Queenston to help take back the Heights. As
many as 20 per cent of combatants in the war were black, many in the
naval forces. After the war, black defenders were granted land in the remote Oro area.
The land was difficult to clear and cultivate; many left."
More: "The War of 1812 showed that Canada was a place where black people were
effectively free under the law; where black settlements — the highest
mark of freedom — created community. Living free 'under the lion’s paw'
was possible even as slavery continued to the south. As black War of
1812 veterans sought to reunite with family in the United States, their
stories about stirred the imaginations of thousands more. In this way,
the promise of the Underground Railroad was born of the War of 1812."
