Which of the following statements most accurately describes the end of the War of 1812?

a. The British won by reestablishing trade with New England.

b. The United States won by proving they could trade with anyone.

c. The Native Americans won by holding onto their southwestern territory.

d. Canada won by proving they could fight off an American attack.

D. Canada won by proving they could fight off an American attack.

Answer: D) Canada won by proving they could fight off an American attack.

The War of 1812 was a military conflict between the United States and Great Britain. Canada, a colony of Britain, was swept up in the war of 1812 and was invaded several times by the Americans. The war was fought in Upper Canada, Lower Canada, on the Great Lakes, and the Atlantic and in the United States. The peace treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, largely returned the status quo. However, in Canada, the war contributed to a growing sense of national identity, including the idea that civilian soldiers were responsible for repelling the American invaders.

This war had a deep effect on Canada. For one thing, the outcome left its territory intact instead of swallowed by the United States. But it also wrought a psychological change. Before the war, many settlers, especially on what is now Ontario, did not feel particularly Canadian. Some were United Empire Loyalists. Many other were more recent arrivals: Americans lured over the border by the prospect of easily available land. They had no strong connection to the Crown.

Collectively fighting for their land, and seeing it ravaged by an invader, went a long way in hammering these people into a unified whole: into Canadians.