6 Things American Schools Teach You About History (That Are Total Bullsh*t)

What I was Taught:

The only thing taught about this war was A), it happened, and B), America won. American education doesn't really focus on why the war occurred, only that it took so long for the end of the war to reach the front lines, that it was still being fought two months after it had officially ended. There was also implication that the war was England seeking vengeance for the U.S. committing the unheard of sin of seeking independence.

More can be learned, actually, from a song released in the 1950's, that perfectly summed up how Americans viewed American-British relations in the post-world-war era. "The Battle of New Orleans" takes a rather comical look at the event, claiming that American soldiers "fired our cannons 'til the barrels melted down, so we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round." The song also claims that they fought the "bloody British" with squirrel guns, and made them into comical victims.

The Truth:

Personal research shows the British view of this war is, "Uh, that was a war?" The U.K. opinion appears to be that it was little more than another scuffle that occurred during the Napoleonic wars, and only America puts any importance on it whatsoever.

So, what really happened? Well, The U.S. got mad over the impressment of our people to the Royal Navy, and didn't like being told we couldn't do business with whoever the hell they wanted. Meanwhile, they were being rather shitty to the Native Americans who sought help from the British. Fighting ensued in Canada, the west of America's territories, and the seas.

In the end, neither side really wanted to continue fighting, and more or less gave up after signing the Treaty of Ghent. Of course, this is a -highly- simplified telling of the story, but it gets across the general idea and gist of what happened.