III 112th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 513 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 28, 2012 Mrs. Gillibrand submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Recognizing the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, which was fought between the United States of America and Great Britain beginning on June 18, 1812, in response to British violations of neutral rights of the United States, seizure of ships of the United States, restriction of trade between the United States and other countries, and the impressment of sailors of the United States into the Royal Navy.

Whereas in standing up to the British, and fighting the conquerors of Napoleon to a draw, the War of 1812 revived flagging nationalism, cleared the way for expanded overseas trade, and ended an era of introversion by the United States; Whereas most of the public buildings of Washington, DC, were set alight, including the White House and the Capitol; Whereas Sackets Harbor, New York, on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, was the site of more naval construction during the war than anywhere else; Whereas the war came to the State of New York in late December 1813 when the village of Black Rock, located 2 miles below Buffalo on the front lines of the war, was torched by the British and only 1 house was spared; Whereas Buffalo, of which it is said that no other town in the United States saw more of the war, came under regular siege from the British and was ultimately burned despite assurances that private property would be spared; Whereas the British capture of Fort Niagara, in a surprise night offensive on December 18, 1813, provided control over the mouth of the Niagara River to the British as well as the launching pad for its attacks on Buffalo and Black Rock; Whereas the town of Lewiston, New York, which served as the headquarters for the United States Army during its attack across the river at Queenston, Ontario, was the target of British retaliation in December 1813, resulting in the deaths of many civilians and the destruction of all buildings; Whereas despite being outnumbered 30 to 1, members of the Tuscarora Nation offered the first resistance the British and Mohawk allies had seen, saving the lives of dozens of Lewiston citizens by allowing them to escape the attack; Whereas Jacob Brown, a pioneer settler in the Black River country of upstate New York and a general in the New York Militia, led the successful defense of Fort Erie in the late summer of 1814, which lifted the spirits of the people of the United States at an important time and resulted in Brown emerging from the war a national hero; Whereas the British plan to invade from the North, in a manner similar to that of General John Burgoyne in 1777, was halted at Plattsburgh, New York, in September 1814; Whereas the victory at Plattsburgh shattered any hopes of British gains in the North, helped maintain national morale after Washington was sacked in that dark summer of 1814, and was described by Winston Churchill as the most decisive engagement of the war; Whereas from the death and destruction of the War of 1812 there was born a spirit of cooperation and a vision of peace between the United States and Canada; Whereas the unparalleled cooperation, prosperity, and friendship that developed between the United States and Canada since the War of 1812 find the deepest roots and daily expressions in the border communities across upstate New York, which was the front line of the War of 1812; Whereas the bicentennial of the War of 1812 offers an exceptional opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the true and lasting legacy of 200 years of peace between the United States and Canada; and Whereas through the turmoil of war, a young nation endured and saw its banner continue to wave over a land free and brave: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate recognizes the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.