Post submitted by: Randy Reade
In just seven years, the country will be celebrating the beginning of the War of 1812 against Britain. As every Buffalonian should know, the war was fought to a large extent on the Niagara Peninsula and WNY, culminating with the burning of Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Village of Buffalo. This war is often called "the forgotten war" because its causes seemed to be silly, and we came so close to losing it.
It's for that exact reason that Buffalo should seize upon the opportunity to focus a spotlight upon our community and the role our region played in helping to shape the young nation. Most Americans know about the burning of Washington, DC, the battle for Fort McHenry and New Orleans, but those were just a few keys events that happened near the end of the war. The History Channel spent two full hours covering the war of 1812 and hardly even mentioned the first year and half that took place in our region! From 2012 to 2014, we should reclaim our history by creating events that will attract tourists and historians from around the country and the world to our region...
If we want an international spotlight on our region, we should start planning now for:
- Reenactment of key battles for that entire period exactly as they occurred, which would include Fort Niagara and historical fights on the Canadian side. That's almost 18 months of battles!
- Highlighting cemeteries and period buildings still standing, while creating a map of the region for devotees to see every aspect of the war and time period still in existence.
- Scholarly seminars on the importance of the war to the young nation, and how it changed us as a country as well as a city.
- Describing relations among the adversaries during, before and after the war, which include Canada, Britain and the US and the various Indian nations that fought for both sides. A Tri-National Commission on the War of 1812 should be created to coordinate these activities.
- Visiting dignitaries both TO and FROM those countries and the Indian nations. Chartered vacations to all major cities could be arranged for everyone to participate in. Festivities to promote peace and economic cooperation among us all.
- Setting up a network for the cities most affected by the war, which include Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore and New Orleans, so that people can travel to battle sites and get information easily. Push tourism!
- Funding new research to revise the common view that this was an unimportant war.
- Researching and recreating the lives of ordinary and extraordinary Buffalonians during the War, including information on local cuisine, sanitation, natural history, transportation, music, fashion and so on.
- Showing the world how important Buffalo was immediately after the War to the nation and the world, and how it grew in the next hundred years to be one of the richest and most important cities in the country. Directly focusing on our architecture and cultural institutions and the innovations of the time. Visitors could see how a 19th century American city actually grew.
- Producing newspaper articles, books, lectures and (hold your breath) locally produced films and videos to educate and promote the war.
- If this is a major event, we should consider inviting the President of the US, the Prime Ministers of Canada and Britain, and perhaps a member of the royal family, to visit the burned cities and reaffirm the terms of peace among our nations.
We can make this a local event of just passing interest. Or, we can do as Philadelphia did during the Bicentennial and make this a major event, which would attract heads of state. It's completely up to us. Philly did it, and they had the Queen and President Ford in attendance. And ever since 1976, they have been milking the events of 1776 every summer to promote tourism. It's all up to us to make the most of it!
Virtually every cultural institution in Buffalo can find a role to play in this two year celebration, and our hospitality industry should support this in order to gain maximum national and worldwide coverage. We should start the dialogue now!
Image: A View of The Lake & Fort Erie, from Buffalo Creek. Fort Erie was part of the chain of communications between Lakes Erie and Ontario. Seized by American forces in July 1814, Fort Erie was the center of several engagements during that year. This view, in quieter times before the war, shows its important harbour.