How Did The British React To Madison's Capitol

During the War of 1812, the British attacked the heart of our nation, Washington D.C. They were frustrated from the burning of their federal buildings in York, Canada, which is present day Toronto ,so they thought burning down the capitol was the best revenge. During the three days they were in the city, they set fire to most of it causing the majority of the small population to flee. When the citizens started to return, they found their homes and lives destroyed. The destructive actions from the British were brutal and set us up for a long road to recovering the nation’s capitol.

When James Madison’s wife, Dolley, heard and saw the British soldiers coming on the horizon, President Madison immediately went into hiding in Maryland. They all knew the British were going to burn down the President’s Residence. So she grabbed a portrait of George Washington, instead of family belongings and fled as well. Soon after, the British

The homes and lives of many smoldered in front of their eyes as they fled in terror to Maryland. Slowly, the citizens who followed Dolley Madison’s actions to avoid being captured started to return from hiding. They found their lives destroyed. For example, when President Madison and Dolley emerged from Maryland, they found their lives, home, and city demolished. Even in 1815, a year after this horrific event, they were still slowly pulling away the rubble and try to recover the capitol of our nation.

The British attacks were horrific and caused destruction that took years to repair. We signed a peace treaty on December 24, 1814 that ended the war, and President James Madison vowed to rebuild the capital in its ashes, and he did after years of construction and renovation. It was 1817 by the time his promise came true. The White House has been rebuilt, and President Monroe has moved in. But to this day our capitol is not the same as it was 202 years ago and it never will