1812.

This is coolbert:

 Quick! Answer this question for me. In what year did the War of 1812 begin?

 For some reason this is the type of question the answer of which seems to elude most Amereican history students?

 That bicentenniel now [200 years] not getting much of a response in the U.S. but much more so in Canada. Thanks to both Salon and USA Today for the articles!

 "The War of 1812 gave us the first 'hawks' in U.S. history"

 "War of 1812 bicentennial: USA shrugs as Canada goes all out"

 "To grossly generalize: Canadians, whose forebears helped repulse several U.S. invasions in 1812, regard the war that began 200 years ago Monday as a crucible of national identity. For them, its bicentennial is a big deal."

 Canadians for the first time during the War of 1812 seeing themselves as a distinct people, North Americans British oriented and retaining a loyalty to the crown in a manner the American did not. Canada no longer strictly mercantile, Rupert's Land and the Hudson's Bay Company.

 "It began with a declaration of war by Americans who did not realize, because word traveled by sea, that the British government had granted some of their key demands several days earlier."

 A war that began over questions of American merchant sailors being impressed into military service by the British. American civilian vessels stopped on the high seas, those U.S. citizens against their will forced to man the war ships of the Royal Navy [RN]. A war that need have occurred to begin with.

Conclusion of the war generally accepted to be a draw, neither side able to prevail over the other in the traditional and unconditional sense, negotiated settlement bringing an end to a war that NEED NOT HAVE HAPPENED!

 And a war that ended with two notable American victories, IN BOTH INSTANCES COMBAT OCCURRING TWO WEEKS AFTER HOSTILITIES HAD OFFICIALLY ENDED.

 [1. The Battle of New Orleans. 2. The USS Peacock capturing the HMS Nautilus in the Sunda Strait.]

 Such was the speed [lack of] communication at the time those war makers and war fighters were not aware of what had transpired and acted according to what they knew at that exact moment, actions and events to the contrary notwithstanding!!

  C'est le vie and c'est le guerre!!

 coolbert.