Battles That Changed (American) History, Period 2, 10-1

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"Good morning," Steve said. "I know it's Parents' Weekend and many of you have to finish cleaning your rooms or turning them into visitor-proof forts, so I won't keep you long. We're going to talk about the War of 1812, sort of in overview. The War of 1812 was fought between the British and America, because the British didn't quite get the memo about independence the first time around and continued to impress American sailors into their navy, impose trade restrictions, and do their best to prevent America from expanding. After some...shall we say, reversals of fortune, including the British marching on and burning the American capitol at Washington, D.C., the Americans were victorious. The war, which ultimately America won, resulted in the solidification of the population as 'American,' since some people had held out some loyalty to Britain up to that point, but once the British showed up and started burning their cities, that went out the window. Not a lot of territory changed hands--in America, at least, the war had more impact on Canada--but it did firmly establish that America wasn't going back to British rule and ushered in an era of more cordial relations between the two nations. Now, no discussion question today. Go get ready for your parents. Dismissed."