The Mysteries of History (June 18 Edition)
War of 1812; Napoleon's Literal Waterloo; Indian Reorganization Act; Monterey Pop Festival
1812 — War of 1812 Begins
image generated using Google Gemini
The following is what I wrote about the War of 1812 in my book Still Casting Shadows: A Shared Mosaic of U.S. History — Volume 1: 1620-1913:
Earlier generations of Americans were taught that the War of 1812 was nothing less than the second Revolutionary War. Current British history books still call it such. Modern Americans typically don’t know much about it at all, and thus may not know just what to call it.
One wag has said the reason why is that the United States did not win. Which is true enough (there were no spoils, no increase in landholdings as a direct and immediate effect of the war)—but neither did they lose.
Unlike the (first) Revolutionary War, the Americans were the aggressors this time. In the 1770s, Britain mobilized troops to put down the rebellion in its American Colonies. In 1812, it was the U.S. that declared war on Britain. There certainly had been provocation on the part of the British, but the reason the Americans gave for opening hostilities does not really hold water. Ostensibly, the Americans declared war in response to the British practice of “impressment.”
Impressment was the fancy word used for the practice of kidnapping American sailors and forcing them to serve in the British Royal Navy (who, along with their then-ally Spain, were at the time fighting the French in the Napoleonic wars). Britain, however, had actually agreed to cease and desist the practice three days prior to America’s declaration of war.
There were other burrs in the Americans’ saddles, though, regarding the actions and attitudes of the British. One of these was Britain’s continued maintenance and manning of military forts in the Ohio valley, which monitored the fur trade in that area, keeping the trade safe and profitable for Britain and its subjects.
The true motive behind the war seems to have been America’s desire for expansion. They wanted what was then termed “Florida” (the region from present-day Florida west to the Mississippi), which was at the time owned by Britain’s ally Spain. America also wanted to expand further westward. The British-backed Indians in the west were proving to be a thorn in their side in this endeavor, though. As if that were not enough of a mouthful to bite off all at once, the United States also hoped to expel the British from Canada, and take over that land. This facet of the war is something that is still emphasized in British history books today.
The Americans thought they had the British in a vulnerable situation, as all the king’s horses and all the king’s men were already engaged in a war in Europe (or so the Americans conjectured). In 1814, though, Britain’s war with France ended, and boatloads of battle-hardened British troops arrived in America. They marched on Washington, and promptly burned the White House and the Capitol building.
At the White House, the British soldiers had found a sumptuous banquet that had been prepared by President James Madison’s staff to celebrate an expected, or at least hoped-for, American victory. After gorging themselves, the British torched the Presidential Palace (but not before James’ wife Dolly had rescued the portraits of the former Presidents).
The British weren’t the only arsonists involved in the War. Although the Americans had not been able to make any permanent inroads into British Canada, they had earlier burned York (in Toronto).
Britain was able to achieve its limited/temporary success in the War of 1812 due to its old nemesis, France, losing ground, and thus Britain being able to focus more on America.
Britain’s burning of the White House and other government buildings was in response to the Americans’ similar actions during its invasion of Canada.
The Americans were able to counter Britain’s attacks on the U.S., but the British were able to prevent the U.S. from acquiring more territory from Canada, so the war was kind of a “wash.” You could say it was a case of “a lot ventured, and little gained” especially for the tens of thousands who perished as a result of it.
The “Peace Treaty” ending the war was signed in late 1814 in Belgium, but in those pre-rapid communication days, the Battle of New Orleans (a decisive American victory) took place in early 1815 due to neither side knowing the war was over.
Questions: Which aspects of the war are emphasized in U.S. history books? Which aspects of the war are emphasized in British history books? (Most specifically, what is meant by “history books” is what is taught to school students) Have you read “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong” by James Loewen?
1815 — Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
public domain image from wikimedia commons (note they got the date wrong: it was 1815, not 1816)
Soldier, Legislator, Emperor, and military leader extraordinaire Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) suffered a career-culminating defeat on this date in 1815. It was such a watershed event (no pun intended) that to “suffer one’s Waterloo” means to experience a life-altering downturn.
Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica, was later banished to the island of Elba, and died on the island of Saint Helena, where he had been exiled by the British (Napoleon had wanted to go to the United States).
Questions: Have you heard the song Waterloo by Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (no, not THAT Stonewall Jackson)? Have you heard the (different) song Waterloo by Abba? Is there any connection between Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleon Dynamite?
1934 — Indian Reorganization Act
public domain image from wikimedia commons
The following is what I wrote about the Indian Reorganization Act in my book Still Casting Shadows: A Shared Mosaic of U.S. History — Volume 2: 1914-2006:
“Remember that every man is a variation of yourself.”—William Saroyan
“No man really knows about other human beings. The best he can do is to suppose that they are like himself.”—John Steinbeck
Following the perhaps well-intentioned but disastrous Dawes Act of 1887, Indian land had been reduced by 63%. As for individual Indians, two-thirds of them either had no land at all or did not have enough to derive a living from.
The so-called “Indian Reorganization Act” (officially the Wheeler-Howard Act, AKA “The Indian New Deal”) was passed this year. The Dawes Act had abolished the Reservation system; the Indian Reorganization Act re-established it. This was prompted, at least partially, by the results of the Merriam Report, which documented the impact that the Dawes Act had had on Indi ans. The results had proven to be a dramatic increase among them of poverty, disease, and untimely death.
Ostensibly, the Indian Reorganization Act restored to Indians the right to live and worship in a traditional manner (see the 1887 and 1890 chapters for details on how these had been taken from them), as well as a certain measure of self-government. This “certain measure” manifested itself in government sponsored tribal councils, and a fostering of native Arts and Culture (after many had been forcibly prevented from speaking their own language or engaging in their own customs for decades).
Thus, the government flip-flopped again as to its policy towards Indians: First, they gathered them up and forced them on to reservations. Then they broke up the reservations. Now, they reformulated and re-instituted the reser vation system.
The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA, but not to be confused with the Irish Republican Army or an Individual Retirement Account) was also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act and the Indian New Deal (partly at least because it took effect during New-Dealer Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration).
This IRA gave the “Indians” (now commonly referred to as Native Americans) more autonomy and legal recognition and power. It promoted a reversal of the policy of assimilation, allowing the Indians more independence and self-determination. This new direction was spearheaded by FDR appointee John Collier.
Questions: What is the connection between FDR’s “New Deal” and the Mark Twain book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court? Did the IRA improve conditions for Indians? If so, to what extent? How has the “Separate but Equal” approach worked out? Why is “Separate but Equal” considered unfair regarding African Americans, while being the accepted approach toward Indians? Are conditions (education, health care, etc.) equal between the Native Americans and the Immigrants (European Americans, et al)?
1967 — Monterey Pop Festival Concludes
public domain image
The three-day ground-breaking Monterey Pop Festival, held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey (less than a mile from where I live) ended on this day in 1967 (aka “The Summer of Love”).
It was a charity concert. Most of the performers played for free (the only exception was sitarist Ravi Shankar, who was paid $3,000). A few others made some money indirectly, and most benefited from the exposure, especially Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix (some of the artists who appeared were already well-known, while others were relatively obscure at the time but later became very popular).
The festival was well-planned, being staffed with private security and medical personnel as well as many volunteers. The way the event was arranged and planned served as a template for the larger Woodstock extravaganza two years later (and other large, multi-day concerts).
John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas was one of the organizers of the event; he also wrote the song San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) as a promotion for the festival.
Hundreds of thousands of people attended. I was not one of them, as I was only eight years old at the time and my parents were/are about the furthest from being hippies as can be imagined.
Also, in spite of what it says on the poster, The Beach Boys did not make it.
In alphabetical order, just some of the artists who performed (my special favorites are bolded) were:
Booker T & the MGs
Butterfield Blues Band
The Byrds
Canned Heat
Country Joe and the Fish
The Grateful Dead
Janis Joplin / Big Brother and the Holding Company
Jefferson Airplane
Jimi Hendrix
Johnny Rivers
The Mamas and the Papas
Otis Redding
Simon & Garfunkel
Steve Miller Band
The Who
Questions: Have you seen D.A. Pennebaker’s file Monterey Pop? Why didn’t Phillips name his song Monterey (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)?
