A History of Violence In The U.S Capitol
From British troops to Puerto Rican shooters; The Capitol had seen its share of violence
1814: The Burning of Washington City
When American forces invaded York, the capital of British-controlled upper Canada, in April 1813, the war between the United States and Great Britain had been fought for almost a year.
Hundreds of American soldiers crossed enemy lines and managed to reach Fort York for a lengthy standoff with the British forces present. On April 27, 1813, right before the British soldiers evacuated the fort, they blew up all of the powder storage, causing a huge explosion killing dozens of American soldiers.
The following day, American soldiers began carrying out a series of destructive acts around the city. They burned government buildings, looted houses, and razed the fort to the ground. The angered British forces in North America vowed vengeance.
Months passed. The American leadership was anticipating a British retaliation and discussed several different possible at-risk areas; The city of Washington was not one of them. “What the devil will they do here?”, US secretary of war, John Armstrong assured President James Madison. “No! no! Baltimore is the place, sir”, he said.
