Segment from The War of 1812

Secrets and Lies

Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian Alan Taylor speaks with host Brian Balogh about how the War of 1812 was essentially a spy story worthy of Le Carre.

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PETER: We’re back with BackStory. I’m Peter Onuf, the 18th century guy.

ED: I’m Ed Ayers. I’m the 19th century guy.

BRIAN: And I’m Brian Balogh. I stand in for the 20th century. Today on the show, we’re marking the bicentennial of the war of 1812. It’s our challenge to try to understand what the war was all about and, really, why it matters for us today.

PETER: The standard textbook story line in America is that we went to war to get back at the British for kidnapping or what they called impressing our sailors at sea. Since Britain was still in charge north of the border, we sent some troops up there and everything ended in a draw because the borders went back to the way they had been before the war.

ED: Yeah, that’s the standard storyline, Peter. But it’s not the only one.

ADAM JORTNER: Let me tell you something about this war. We started this war. Americans started this war.

ED: This is Adam Jortner. He’s an historian at Auburn University.