Defining the Stakes: Perspectives

Forced from their homes and persecuted at the end of the American Revolution, United Empire Loyalists sought refuge in British Canada. When war broke out in 1812, Loyalist families committed themselves to defending the British Crown and their lands for a second time.

For the Choctaws, involvement in the War of 1812 began in 1811. During that year, a delegation from the Shawnee Tribe visited Choctaw country. The Shawnee were a former enemy that had raided Choctaw country years before, but Tecumseh wished to convince the Choctaw to join a Native American confederacy to check the continued expansion of the United States into Tribally-held lands.

The Creeks turned to their traditions, customs, and spirits to defend their homeland against American expansion and aggression during and after the War of 1812.

The Coloured Corps, a British unit comprised of black troops, fought with distinction against the Americans, both at Queenston Heights and Fort George. From their perspective, the stakes were high: they fought not just to defend their homes but to preserve their freedom.

Within any tribal community, the decision to fight was solely up to the discretion of the individual warrior. No war chief had the ability to make any warrior fight for him or his chosen cause. This was true for the many, different tribes that fought in the War of 1812.

Frustrated by the failure of President Jefferson’s policies of economic coercion, some members of the Twelfth Congress began calling for more decisive and aggressive measures.