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Laura Secord

by Jordan from Calgary

The silence in it's own way is deafening.
Laura Secord web (I made it)
Laura Secord web (I made it)

Laura Secord was a brave, nice, heroic, caring, selfless woman. Her full name was Laura Ingersoll Secord. She was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on September 13, 1775. She grew up in New England during the American Revolutionary War in a wealthy family. Her father’s name was Thomas Ingersoll. Her mother’s name was Elizabeth Dewey. Her mother died when she was eight. That meant she and her dad had to take care of four children. Thomas married his third wife. Laura Secord’s father supported the Americans during the American Revolutionary War. Thomas lost all of his money, so he wanted to start a new life. It was very cheap to buy land in Canada, so they moved to the Niagara Peninsula in 1795 and opened a tavern. This is where she met James Secord who was a United Empire Loyalist. One of the biggest events of her life is when she married James Secord. In the early 1800’s, James and Laura moved to Queenston. James was a sergeant in the war and was wounded by a gunshot in his leg. Laura Secord ran into the battlefield and saved him.

The biggest event that shaped Laura Secord's life was when she helped save the borders between Canada and the United States of America. Laura was demanded to house some American soldiers. When Laura Secord was doing the dishes, she heard that the Americans were going to surprise Canada and try to make it part of United States of America. They said they would get their weapons and attack Lieutenant Fitzgibbon, one of the British leaders. They would demand the Canadian land. She decided to warn Fitzgibbon because they wanted to attack him. At that moment she started to run to warn Fitzgibbon. Laura Secord thought she might run into American guards, so she went the long way around. Laura Secord’s niece Elizabeth Secord joined Laura, but Elizabeth became exhausted and Laura Secord kept going. Laura Secord fell and became unconscious. Luckily she became unconscious on an Indian encampment, so, the Indians woke her up and took her to Fitzgibbon. After her 32 kilometre run, she luckily got to Fitzgibbon in time. Why I think that Laura Secord did the run is that her family and friends were in the war and it made her feel like she was helping with the war too. Because Laura Secord did this amazing act, the Americans did not conquer Canada and the borders between Canada and United States were made.

A portrait of Laura Secord (On the internet)
A portrait of Laura Secord (On the internet)

Laura Secord's life was remarkable because she never gave up. She never said I give up and she never stopped until the war was over. She was admirable because she was determined, courageous, a role-model, smart, selfless, strong hearted, hard working, honest and brave. Laura Secord was determined because she did not give up when she was running. She was truly determined! Laura Secord had a lot of courage to run and save her husband on the battlefield in the war when he was wounded! She was a role- model because she showed all of her skills. She was smart enough to know who to get the message to Fitzgibbon, not somebody else. She also was smart not to go were she might run into a guard. Laura Secord was selfless because she did not get an award until she was 85 because she did not tell anyone of her heroic deed. Laura Secord was strong-hearted because her mother died when she was eight and her husband died in 1841 leaving Laura Secord to work at a school to get money. Still she pulled off all these amazing deeds even though she did not have the best life. She was also a hard working person. She was extremely brave! Brave enough to go on a battlefield in the war. Brave enough to save Canada. Brave enough to do almost anything. I think that Laura Secord’s courageousness influenced other people to have more courage in them. I think that the most helpful quality or trait would be that she was strong-hearted. What I think was most troubling was how determined she was. She almost died trying to save her husband in the middle of a war.

I learned a lot from studying Laura Secord but one of the best things I’ve learned is that just because you're one person you can make a difference. Another lesson I learned is she never gave up. You don’t need a huge prize when you are doing the right thing such as saving Canada! I think you can judge the quality of a person's life by their enemies. It is because when people have a lot of enemies usually they are not very nice and that is why they have a lot of enemies. Laura Secord did not have very many enemies so she was nice. Laura’s biggest rule was probably never give up!!!!!

A statue of Laura Secord in her honor (I found it on the internet.)
A statue of Laura Secord in her honor (I found it on the internet.)

I think a hero is a person who does something good and saves something or someone. A hero is somebody helpful and nice. I think that Laura Secord was a true hero because she saved Canada and her husband. She did the thing that was right. Somebody well known is a lot like a singer or hockey player, they might be good at singing or really athletic but they may not a hero. Laura Secord actually did something and she was not just popular. In her later years, she lived in Queenston. Laura Secord was born September 13th 1775. She died on October 17th 1868. She was at the age of 85. She died of old age. Laura Secord does not have any living family members. Laura Secord was 85 when she received her special award. I chose Laura Secord as my hero because she was helpful to Canada, she sounded interesting and she was a true hero.

There is a chocolate company named after Laura Se (I found it on the internet.)
There is a chocolate company named after Laura Se (I found it on the internet.)

Laura Secord had a very successful life and was a true hero. Laura Secord got many awards and statues after her death on October 17th 1868. She has a school named after her. She also has a rebuilt house and she has a chocolate company all in her honour. When Laura was about 85 she received 100 pounds from the Prince of Wales. After James and Laura were married they had 5 children. It was too bad that Laura did not get recognized until she was 85. Almost everybody thinks that Laura Secord was a hero and I totally agree!

Page created on 7/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 7/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Historica - A Canadian History Minute video about Laura Secord
The War of 1812 - A well done website about Laura Secord
The Courage of Laura Secord - what it was like, Laura's whole life
The War of 1812 - Another well done website about Laura Secord
Laura Secord - A nice website