My son came home a bit confused after studying the War of 1812 in history class. “Mama, do you know who Laura Secord is?” No, I admitted.
“I thought she was just the chocolate shop, but my teacher says she was a heroine during the War of 1812.” (The chocolate company bearing her name declares “Laura Secord, the Canadian heroine who was a symbol of courage, devotion, and loyalty.)
Hmm. Why didn’t I learn about this heroine when I was your age?
With a little research, I discovered another challenge of dual citizenship. At some point, you have to decide your loyalties. As my father would say: you can have a foot in the boat and on the pier, but when the tide shifts– decisions get made.
Like her husband and many others, Mrs Secord was born in the United States and had relatives across the Canadian line. Her American father had sided with the Patriots during the American Revolution (1775-83). He eventually moved across the border in exchange for land. Laura married a Canadian and was intensely loyal to the British Crown, and to the defense of the colony. She would become a Canadian ‘Paul Revere’, warning ‘The Americans are coming! The Americans are coming!’
One evening, Secord overheard American soldiers planning against the British forces at Beaver Dams. Escaping under the cover of night, Laura Secord trekked some 30 kilometers through inhospitable wilderness and arrived at the British garrison in time to warn of the impending American attack. As a direct result, 25 Americans were killed and 50 injured by the British and their Cognawaga Indian allies.
So – no. I did not study her in American history class. Countries immortalize history from their own perspectives. Americans do not consider Secord a heroine.
In 1814, the Massachusetts governor sent a secret emissary to negotiate a separate peace with the British. Some New Englanders even advocated secession.
Was the 1799 Logan Act, which forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments, debated that year?
Interesting, in light of recent political events.