[PeteB570]

Well, after reading the article as presented I’d say the author missed the big point - the “First Peoples” picked the wrong side.

[Alberta's Child]

The War of 1812 was pretty much the beginning of the end of the U.S. as a confederation of self-governing states. One of the problems the U.S. faced in that war was that the Federal government simply didn't have the ability to enforce any authority over the states and compel them to send their militias to help with the war effort.

200 years later we think of the "War of 1812" as a military conflict between the U.S. and Great Britain, but at the time there were many U.S. state governments -- especially in the South -- that considered it a local conflict between the State of New York (for example) and the British colony of Upper Canada (now Ontario).

[Squawk 8888]

the “First Peoples” picked the wrong side.

They didn't have much choice in the matter- the Americans refused to honour the treaties they made with Britain prior to the Revolution, so their only chance to keep their land in Canada was to side with the British. Their support was critical to keeping the Americans out of Upper Canada.

[Sacajaweau]

Supposedly, Brant later said if they had to do it again, they would NOT have sided with the British....but I'm not sure that wasn't just a public relations thing. I'd hardly hold it as truth.

One of our mistakes (I believe) was in letting the Brits occupy Forts Niagara and Ontario on Lake Ontario until 1796....well after the 1783 Treaty.

I have a copy of the Treaty of Ghent in my files...someplace.