LANSING — State Representative Bill LaVoy (D-Monroe) introduced House Resolution 40 this week, honoring the 200th anniversary of the end of the War of 1812.
“The end of the War of 1812 began an era of peace and cooperation with Canada that continues today,” said LaVoy, who is of French-Canadian heritage. “It’s with that spirit in mind that we commemorate the end of the war.”
Michigan was a key battleground in the war; the first engagement on U.S. soil was on July 17, 1812, when British and Native American forces captured Fort Mackinac, which is in Schmidt’s district. In LaVoy’s district, British troops also won a victory at the Battle of Frenchtown in present-day Monroe. Although the Treaty of Ghent ending the war was signed in late 1814, official news of peace didn’t reach Michigan until March 2015.