Retaliation

Retaliation
As retaliation for the burning of York’s Parliament buildings, the British marched on the American capital, Washington D.C., in August 1814.  British troops overwhelmed the American defences, setting fire to many public and military buildings in the city, including the White House.

Retaliation for the burning of York’s Parliament buildings went beyond the destruction of Washington.  At the outset of war the majority of Upper Canadians anticipated an American victory, and within the Legislative Assembly, there were some outright supporters of annexation by the United States.  These views were transformed with the destruction wrought by the Americans.  When the war ended with the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 16, 1815, Upper Canada’s population emerged with a new sense of a shared identity.