Remember, Remember (George Washington and Guy Fawkes Day)

The idiotic anti-Catholic celebration of Guy Fawkes Day, observed each November fifth, was effectively ended in America during the Revolution, in large part due to George Washington. Here is his order on November 5, 1775:

Guy Fawkes ping!

In 1605, 13 young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament in what is now called "the Gunpowder Plot". The Gunpowder Plot came about after Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603. English Catholics, who had been persecuted under her rule, were bitterly disappointed when her successor, James I, who had a Catholic mother, failed to be more tolerant of their religion. Their leader Robert Catesby decided to blow up the Houses of Parliament, hoping to kill the King, the Prince of Wales, and the MPs who were making life difficult for Catholics. Among 13 young men was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor and Roman Catholic convert. He was arrested in Parliament's cellar with 36 barrels of gunpowder. Fawkes was tried, convicted, and executed for treason.
Even now, four hundred years later, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year for the State Opening of Parliament. And before the opening, according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard searches the cellars of the Palace of Westminster.

at a Time when we are solliciting, and have really obtain’d, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada, whom we ought to consider as Brethren embarked in the same Cause.

George was more than a little over-optimistic here.

Not at all.

The hardening of Canada's attitude toward the US occurred mostly after the war, when so many Tories flocked to Upper Canada.

Bringing in Canada was a real, but missed, opportunity.

I would also point out that it was during Washington's first year as President that the Apostolic Prefecture of Baltimore became America's first diocese.

This would not have happened so quickly without the approval of the President and Congress.

It was not until 1850 that there was a diocese in England again.

Washington was a true President.

Awesome post. Thanks. A level below what Washington’s famous letter to the Jewish community in Providence, RI but still quite interesting. The Brits were starting to learn about what it took to rule a far flung Empire and granted Canada’s French speaking Catholic population toleration with the Quebec Act of 1774.

The biggest ally of the American Revolution was Catholic France. One of Washington's generals was the Marquis de La Fayette, a French Catholic. The colony of Maryland was settled by Catholics.

Washington realized that antagonizing Catholics was a stupid move.

The American invasion of Canada around this time got very little support from the Canadians.

They weren't for the most part actively hostile, but they were a long way from being "brothers in arms," which was why I said George was over-optimistic.

It was attempted again during the War of 1812.After the Civil War , the Fenian efforts caused the British government to make Canada an autonomous entity with the British North America Act of 1867. But as late as 1895, Theodore Roosevelt was among those talking about the annexation of Canada. Which is one reason why during the Spanish-America War, the British started making nice and moved toward a kind of alliance with the USA in imperial matters. The Prairie provinces and even parts of British Columbia were settled by many Americans.

The Quebeckers has just obtained religious freedom from the British and they and the New Englanders were bitter enemies. This grant of religious toleration to Catholics was one reason why New England revolted. So there was not trust there. As it was, Benedict Arnold came close to taking Quebec City after a brilliant march through Maine.

...and don't forget the Maryland 400 who bravely defended the American retreat at Brooklyn. Those boys were almost all Irish Catholics and Washington knew it. Two hundred and fifty seven of those lads lie buried in a mass grave on 3rd Ave. in Brooklyn.

Maryland is called "The Old Line State" for those young men.

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