The War 1812 is a two-hour film history of a deeply significant event in North American and world history. The war shaped American, Canadian and British destiny in the most literal way possible: had one or two battles or decisions gone a different way, a map of the United States today would look entirely (and shockingly) different. The U.S. could well have included Canada - but was also on the verge of losing much of the Midwest, and perhaps the entire West to boot. The New England states, meanwhile, were poised on the brink of secession just months before a peace treaty was signed.
The fires of this war forged the nation of Canada; at the same time, the result tolled the end of Native American dreams of a separate nation. By war's end, the process of Native nation removal had already begun in the southeast, paving the way for a Cotton Kingdom powered by slavery, and a United States that had been on the verge of collapse was ready to announce its arrival as a global power. The U.S. did not win the War of 1812, but the noble experiment of democracy had managed to survive intense pressure from without, and within.
Producer: John Grant
Executive Producer: Dalton Delan, Karen Kenton, David C. Rotterdam, John Grant
Production Company: WETA; WNED; Florentine Films/Hott Productions
Production Year: 2011
Copyright Year: 2011
Director: Lawrence Hott, Diane Garey
Narrator: Joe Mantegna
Actors: Scott Finlay, Ellis Hill, Ray Hobbs
Writers: Ken Chowder
Discs: 1
Subtitles: Y
Subtitle Language: English (SDH)
Audio Format: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen