A heroine is a adult female of distinguished bravery or ability. admired for her courage and baronial qualities ; Laura Secord easy qualifies and exceeds this definition [ I ] . Her enterprise. speedy humor. intelligence and physical fortitude have been animating people since her narrative became widely known. Laura Secord is a echt icon of Canadian history because 200 old ages subsequently we are still hearing her narrative and the effects her actions had on the war of 1812. Laura Ingersoll Secord deserves a topographic point of honor in Canadian history because of her exceeding bravery. courage and heroic act which made a important impact on the result of the conflict at Beaver Dams. After reexamining the Criteria outlined in the General Guidelines and Specific Guidelines: for measuring topics of possible national historic significance. it merely makes sense that Laura Secord receives a memorialization by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and be nationally recognized. She clearly meets the outlined standards which includes ; being involved in an action that had a nationally important impact on Canadian history. being more than 25 old ages since her decease and being a figure of significance prior to the state come ining alliance.
Laura Ingersoll was born September 13th 1775 in Great Barrington. Massachusetts. Laura was rarely free of problem ne’er truly cognizing the significance of a unworried childhood. At age eight her birth female parent. Elizabeth Dewey. passed off go forthing her to look after her three younger sisters. This was hard sing her male parent. Thomas Ingersoll. was an American Officer and invariably had to go forth for responsibility. Her male parent married twice more and had several kids for which Laura was expected to assist care for [ two ] . In 1795 her male parent did non wish to populate under the United States and authorities took stairss to travel his household to Upper Canada on the Kingston Peninsula. He besides wanted to take advantage of a greater chance to obtain land. Two old ages after traveling to Upper Canada. Laura married a merchandiser named James Secord going Laura Ingersoll Secord. the two of them moved to Queenstone where they started their household [ three ] . Laura’s upbringing shows that she was already a strong. competent adult female by the clip she married. She had learned to take attention of others and make whatever was necessary of her in order to carry through her duties.
In October of 1812 war had come to Queenstone where Mrs. Secord was populating. In 1813 short conflicts were taking topographic point along the Niagara peninsula since the Americans had declared war on the British Empire in 1812. In the summer of 1813. American military personnels had taken over parts of the peninsula and during this period. they billeted their military personnels in the places of Canadians [ four ] . It shortly became apparent that all steps must be taken in order to forestall the Americans from taking over this country of the British Empire. In 1813 Laura Ingersoll Secord. a 38 twelvemonth old adult female with five kids [ 5 ] . had her place taken over by a group of American officers and was expected serve them dinner. While cleaning up after a dinner she overheard the American officers be aftering a surprise onslaught on their British oppositions at Beavers Dam. which was under the bid of Lieutenant Fitzgibbon. Alternatively of disregarding what she had heard she talked to her hubby and they decided that she would go the 19 stat mis in the scorching Sun across unreliable lands to warn Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon. the British military leader in St. Davids. On June 22. 1813 Laura left her place in Queenstone and began the hard journey.
While fearful of running into unfriendly Indians or American soldiers. Mrs. Secord volitionally put herself in harm’s manner in order to warn Fitzgibbon of the at hand surprise onslaught. Walking through uneven wood and seeking to remain out of sight new frights arose including those of wild animate beings and rattlers. After walking all twenty-four hours she came upon a group of Iroquois. a group of first state people. and persuaded them to take her to Fitzgibbons cantonment. With their aid she was able to go through on the information of the surprise onslaught to Fitzgibbon. With exceeding bravery. courage. endurance and aid from some first states people Mrs. Secord completed her journey [ six ] . As a effect of the information. Laura Secord brought to Fitzgibbons ; he was able to put a First Nations set together with his ain British withdrawal in order to stop the American Detachment [ seven ] . Laura Secord’s brave act turned the tabular arraies on the Americans plans to surprise the British and gave the British the upper manus taking to the triumph at Beaver Dam. Fitzgibbon assembled and equipped his work forces in expectancy of the American onslaught.
The British captured 500 American work forces with a field piece and 50 dragoons salvaging the British from dramatic bloodshed [ eight ] . The consequence being the American military personnels stayed in Fort George and did non hold influence on the Canadian side of the Niagara [ nine ] . Laura Secord was honoured by the Prince of Wales with a gift of 100 lbs. If the Prince thinks of her as an of import individual than we as Canadians need to truly see her part and the impact it had on Canadian History. peculiarly our boundary lines. It is possible the information she passed on to Fitzgibbon kept Canada’s boundary lines from altering. Her actions are important to Canadian history because she helped turn tabular arraies on the Americans ; the triumph took inaugural off from the Americans in the Niagara country and gave the British the upper manus. It prevented farther progresss by the Americans and saved the people populating on the Niagara Peninsula from American business [ x ] . Although there are differences that the action Laura took was non warranted to be considered a heroine it is of import to observe that Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon confirmed Laura Secord’s trek and allowed the skeptics to eventually believe her Acts of the Apostless led to a important alteration in the result of the conflict at Beaver Dam.
In one of three certifications written by Fitzgibbon. he states that she did so came to him with information about an American program to try a surprise onslaught on his work forces. She battled the conditions and terrain. walked through overly warm and thick woods. for near to 20 stat mis with no idea other than to carry through her end of acquiring the information to the right individual [ xi ] . Throughout history the military functions of adult females have been in many instances overlooked. Women helped on the battleground go throughing out H2O to the soldiers. in the cantonments they were washwomans. dressmakers. and comrades to the soldiers. Womans were stationed in garrisons and forts as retainers in officers’ houses and worked every bit cooks every bit good as nannies and washwomans and of class. At place. they took attention of household and ownerships while their work forces were off at war [ xii ] . Laura Secord’s act of courage was typical of pioneer adult females who worked difficult and contributed to the endurance of their households [ thirteen ] .
Laura’s action shows others that the impossible is possible and that one person’s actions can do a difference. Laura Secord was an of import figure. in a larger concatenation of events that brought the war of 1812 to an terminal. She demonstrated the power of adult females to act upon and determine the class of history [ xiv ] . If it was non for her heroic attempts many people would hold died in the Battle of Beavers Dams. Laura Secord deserves a topographic point of memorialization in Canadian history because it was through her attempts displayed. outstanding bravery and continuity that she is called a loyal heroine [ xv ] It is strongly suggested that the Historical Sites and Monument Board of Canada recommend Laura Secord to have acknowledgment as being a nationally historic individual who went above and beyond in order to procure the safety of her Country in clip of war. This illustration of a Canadian adult female is excessively valuable to be allowed to vanish into the yesteryear. It would be more suited to immortalize the memory of Laura Secord in order to maintain her memory alive. It is believed that one of the best ways of making so would be to hold a national memorial erected in her honor [ xvi ] .
Mentions:
[ I ] Dictionary. com. “Heroine” hypertext transfer protocol: //dictionary. mention. com/browse/heroine+ ( 2011 )
[ two ] McKenzie. “Laura Secord. The Legend and The Lady” The Canadian Publishers 1971. pg 17
[ three ] Donald R. Hickey. “Don’t give up the ship. myths of the war of 1812” Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing 2006. pg 195-196
[ four ] W. R. Wilson. “Historical Narratives of Early Canada” Laura Secord Homespun Heroine. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. uppercanadahistory. ca/1812/18127. hypertext markup language. ( 2010 )
[ V ] Pierre Berton. “Flames across the boundary line 1813-1814” The Canadian Publishers 1981. pg 83
[ six ] J MacKay Hitsman. “The unbelievable War of 1812. A Military History” University of Toronto Press 1965. pg 130-139
[ seven ] Donald R. Hickey. “Don’t give up the ship. myths of the war of 1812” Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing 2006. pg 197
[ eight ] . Parks Canada “What’s New. Prepared by James Fitzbiggon for Laura Secord” Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Parks Canada hypertext transfer protocol: //www. personal computer. gigahertz. ca/eng/rech-srch/clic-click. aspx? /cgi-bin/MsmGo. exe? grab_id=0 & A ; page_id=75749 & A ; query=laura % 20secord & A ; hiword=LAURE % 20LAUREN % 20LAURO % 20SECORDS % 20laura % 20secord % 20 ( February 25th 2011 )
[ nine ] Donald R. Hickey. “Don’t give up the ship. myths of the war of 1812”Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing 2006. pg196-197
[ x ] McKenzie “Laura Secord. The Legend and The Lady” The Canadian Publishers 1971. pg 135
[ xi ] Parks Canada “What’s New. Prepared by James Fitzbiggon for Laura Secord” Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Parks Canada hypertext transfer protocol: //www. personal computer. gigahertz. ca/eng/rech-srch/clic-click. aspx? /cgi-bin/MsmGo. exe? grab_id=0 & A ; page_id=75749 & A ; query=laura % 20secord & A ; hiword=LAURE % 20LAUREN % 20LAURO % 20SECORDS % 20laura % 20secord % 20 ( February 25th 2011 )
[ xii ] Articles “The Roles Women Played in the War of 1812” Upper Mississippi Bridge hypertext transfer protocol: //umbrigade. tripod. com/articles/women. hypertext markup language ( 1944 )
[ xiii ] University of Toronto. “Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online” hypertext transfer protocol: //www. biographi. ca/009004-119. 01-e. php? BioId=38629 ( 2000 )
[ xiv ] Rob Nicholson. MP. Niagara Falls. “On the memorialization of Laura Secord as a Person of National Historic Significance” Media. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. robnicholsonmp. ca/EN/3376/45173. ( May 25th 2006 )
[ xv ] Laura Secord National Monument Committee. “A national memorial to Laura Secord: why it should be erected. an entreaty to the people of Canada ( 1901 ) ” hypertext transfer protocol: //www. archive. org/details/nationalmonument00lauruoft page 12-13 ( March 10. 2001 )
[ xvi ] Laura Secord National Monument Committee. “A national memorial to Laura Secord: why it should be erected. an entreaty to the people of Canada ( 1901 ) ” hypertext transfer protocol: //www. archive. org/details/nationalmonument00lauruoft page 12-13 ( March 10. 2001 )
