USA screwed British for celebration of buring down White House and Congress

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http://www.npr.org/2014/08/21/342184458/breaking-british-burn-washington-2-centuries-ago


BREAKING: British Burn Washington ... 2 Centuries Ago
by NPR STAFF
August 21, 2014 4:01 PM ET
Listen to the Story
All Things Considered 12 min 47 sec
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Leif Parsons for NPR
Two hundred years ago this week, during the War of 1812, invading British troops destroyed two of the nation's most important buildings — the White House and the Capitol. The war had started over issues of tariffs and the taking of American sailors on the high seas; by the summer of 1814, British fighters were in middle of a campaign burning and looting along the coast.

Unfortunately, there was no recorded sound from that time, so for help in our storytelling we imagined how NPR might have covered the burning of Washington, D.C., had we been on the scene two centuries ago. This is definitely one of the stories that you'll want to listen to — click the play button above to hear it.

This re-enactment of the siege is based on Steve Vogel's book Through the Perilous Fight: From the Burning of Washington to the Star-Spangled Banner, the Six Weeks That Saved the Nation.

Our cast of characters:

"War Department" Correspondent Tom Bowman, embedded with the invading British forces
"President's House" Correspondent Tamara Keith, reporting from the White House under siege
Congressional Correspondent Ailsa Chang, reporting from the soon-to-be burned U.S. Capitol
WAMU's Armando Trull, embedded with the District of Columbia militia
E.J. Dionne and David Brooks with their regular weekly analysis of the 1814 news
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...te-200th-anniversary-burning-White-House.html





British Embassy in Washington sparks fury after holding a party to 'commemorate' 200th anniversary of the burning of the White House
Diplomats in the US held a ‘White House BBQ' to mark anniversary
Embassy Tweeted a photo of a White House cake surrounded by sparklers
On August 24, 1814, British troops occupied Washington for 26 hours
It is the only time in history that the US capital has been invaded
By TOM MCTAGUE, MAILONLINE DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

PUBLISHED: 09:15 GMT, 25 August 2014 | UPDATED: 13:01 GMT, 25 August 2014


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British diplomats in the US have been forced to apologise after revealing they were hosting a party to celebrate the anniversary of the burning of the White House.

The British Embassy in Washington held a ‘White House barbeque’ yesterday to mark the two hundredth anniversary of Britain capturing the US capital and setting fire to the President’s iconic address.

The Embassy even sent a message on Twitter from its official account with a photograph of a White House cake, flanked by British and American flags and surrounded by sparkler fireworks.

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British diplomats tweeted this picture to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the burning of the White House

A caption accompanying the photograph, revealed by the Telegraph newspaper today, read: ‘Commemorating the 200th anniversary of burning the White House. Only sparklers this time!’

Three hours later, after receiving dozens of angry replies from Americans on Twitter, the Embassy issued an apology.

A message explained: ‘We meant to mark an event in history & celebrate our strong friendship today.’

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The original tweet referred to the events of August 24 1814 when British troops occupied Washington for 26 hours - setting fire to several buildings, including the Capitol and the White House.

British troops were forced to withdraw from the US capital and return to their ships when a heavy thunderstorm and tornado struck.

It was the only time in history that the US capital has been invaded and caused substantial damage to the White House. The British occupation forced the then US President James Madison to flee with his with Dolley.

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British troops ransacked Washington in 1814 - the only time a foreign power has occupied the American capital*

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A view of the White House in Washington DC after the British attack on August 24, 1814. The painting is by , William Strickland

The Embassy tweet sparked fury in the US with Americans lashing out at the ‘extremely poor taste’ massage.

Yossi Gestetner ‏wrote: ‘HELLO David Cameron. The tweet by [the British Embassy] is of poor taste. Disappointed in the Conservatives.’

The British Embassy had earlier revealed it was holding a ‘White House BBQ’ to mark the 200th anniversary of the ‘rather unfortunate event in UK/US relations’.

HOW GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES WENT TO WAR IN 1812
The War of 1812 between the US and Britain is also known in America as the country’s second war for independence.

President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain - the first time the United States had declared war against another nation – because of continuous British meddling in north American.

The US administration was angry over Britain forcing American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, as well as trade restrictions on the US as a side-effect of Britain's war with France.

Britain was also supporting Native Americans fighting the US government's westward expansion.

After grinding to a stalemate in 1814 Britain and America signed a peace treaty in Ghent, Belgiun.

This settled the border between the United States and Canada, while allowing Washington to expand west into Native American territory.

The war therefore seen by some as a victory for both sides - with only the Native Americans as the losers.

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