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The War of 1812
The war of 1812 is often referred to as the Forgotten War. This is because it is America’s least known war. Although the war of 1812 is the least known, it was also one of the most dangerous wars for America. The war lasted for two and a half years and was a conflict between the United Stated of America and the British Empire. If America lost the war, then the people would become subjects of the British again and if America won the war then it was possible that Canada could be a part of America. However, the war ended in a complicated way (Watson, 3).
Causes of the War
The war began initially began because of the conflict between Britain and France. Both countries had cut of trade with the United States to keep supplies from the enemy (History.com, 2009). Also, France wanted America to lift the Jay Treaty so they began an unofficial war with the United States to do so. During the unofficial war America defeated three French vessels and
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When the war had begun to end neither side had really accomplished what they wanted to do during the war and neither side had gained what they wanted either. This left the war in a confusing place. In the end, the United States gave up all of their demands to end the impressment, and Britain vowed to leave Canada’s borders unchanged and also abandoned their efforts to create an Indian state in the northwest (History.com, 2009). On December 24, 1814, the treaty of Ghent was signed and peace was to be implemented. However, on December 25th, 1814, the British attacked New Orleans and were defeated by President Andrew Jackson’s army (History.com, 2009). Since the Americans were able to defeat the British during the attack on New Orleans, it left them with a sense of pride and victory. Although the United States did not accomplish what they wanted to throughout the war and did not receive all the demands they had asked Great Britain for, at the end of the war, Americans were left prideful and
Question 1: What were the primary grievances of the United States that led to war with Britain?
The victory of the War of 1812 was a huge leap toward America becoming its own nation because of the national unity the win provided its citizens. The morale of the citizens lifted greatly because they managed to defeat the greatest military powers of the world and managed to survive. It also proved to the world that the american nation could defend itself from foreign threats. The victory improved America’s self confidence and faith in the military to defend the natiosn freedom and honor.
America had suffered numerous devastating losses, such as the capture of Washington D.C. The ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 17, 1815, ended the war. The war of 1812 was known as the second war of independence and was called the beginning of an era of partisan agreement and national pride, or the “Era of good feelings”. “The Era of Good Feelings” was an inaccurate label for the selected time period.
After the U.S gained their independence form Britain, they faced the greatest obstacle that would threaten their independence. This was a second war fought against Great Britain called the War of 1812. The war was fought on land and on sea and lasted almost three years. There were many forces that led Americans to declare war on Britain in 1812.
The War of 1812 otherwise known as the “Forgotten War”, was a three year military conflict between America, Britain and their Native allies. It was a relatively small war that arguably shaped a continent for centuries to come. Around the time of 1812 there was tension in and around America because of several controversial acts that Britain had passed out. Because of the Napoleonic Wars Britain had a “You are either with us or you are against us”, approach to other nations. However the British did whatever it took to get out of a war however that could not happen because of what they were doing. The British had forgotten America after the war of Independence and didn’t regard them as a powerful Nation. Their focus was on France however America managed to tangle themselves in this conflict between the two Nations by trading with the French. America wanted to make some money off France and had engaged in trade a while back. The British, because of their approach of dealing with other nations, had set up an embargo that made American ships pay a duty to the British before they could trade with the French. They had also engaged in what was called impressment in which they would take men of American ships, if the men had even the most vague connection to Britain they would take them hostage and put them on their own boats to go to war for the British. Theses acts angered the Americans and they wanted to go to war with Britain so a new breed of congress and government were put in place. They were called Warhawks, these men were more aggressive and were known to act before thinking. The Battle of Profits town had most probably been the tipping point for going to war, when Sir Governor William Henry Harrison and his militia had attacked P...
The War of 1812, also known as “Mr. Madison’s War”, was caused by three main disputes between the British and the Americans: several trade acts oppressing America’s trade with both France and Britain, the recruiting of unwilling American men into the Royal Navy, and the British support of Native Americans resisting expansion. Although the unfair actions of the British brought forth much animosity from many Americans, there were still a good number of people opposing the war. There were many arguments between several political parties, and disagreements about the war continued on through the duration of it.
Was the War of 1812 really worth fighting? Beforehand, Britain began stopping American ships to look for British deserters, soon they began to impress American citizens on those ships. Britain decided to end the policy, unfortunately, that news never reached America in time. By the time it did America already declare war on Britain. In 1814, American and British representatives met to sign a peace agreement, The Treaty of Ghent. This treaty didn't do anything but allow peace between the two and end the war. The news of the treaty signing didn't reach the United States. One last battle took place, Battle of New Orleans. That battle leads to the American victory, leaving hundreds of British soldiers dead. The American citizens felt a new sense of respect and patriotism after the war. The War of 1812 was worth fighting forAdditionallyand it did help the young America.
The War of 1812 was one of the most insignificant wars in U.S. history which despite its failure to accomplish its strategic goals, the country showed the world that the U.S., military could stand up to the British on land. Bradford Perkins presented a short but brilliant account on the root cause of the war, by offering two thesis’s to support the claim that the land hunger, the loss of commerce, and national honor were the main causes. Right from the start Perkins argued that the war of 1812 was the product of resentment at various British actions which challenged American sovereignty on sea, and on land. He thus tries to explain how the two theories (land hunger and national honor) emerged, and the main issues which led to the cause of the war.
Although America did not win The War of 1812, due to the Battle of Lake Erie, they did not lose it. The war was caused by the impressment of American soldiers, blockades on American trade, and Indian slaughters on the American frontier. James Madison launched The War of 1812 so that the United States would not be taken advantage of, but by doing so, he took on an army fifty times bigger than his own. When it looked like America would lose the war, Oliver Hazard Perry turned the tables and won the deciding battle that allowed James Monroe to sign the Treaty of Ghent and bring peace to the two countries. Although the original conflicts were not solved, they dissipated over time. The War of 1812 may not have solved many problems, but it proved to American’s that they could stand together and prevail over injustice.
The War of 1812 was considered the United States’ second battle for independence from England. Leading up to the war, tensions between America and the Native American Indians, as well as between America and England, increased rapidly. The Native Americans began attacking American settlements in response to being forced out of their native territory. Conflicts like these continued between American citizens and Native Americans throughout the war as the British were supporting the Native Americans. Due to the contentious relationship between England and America, the British decided to form an alliance with the Native Americans to increase their chances of defeating the Americans. America’s anger continued to grow toward the British because Britain refused to recognize America as an independent country, and because the British had no respect for American citizens. The war lasted for four years, ending with the Treaty of Ghent. There were some positive outcomes of the War of 1812 for America, however there were many negative effects for Native Americans. The War of 1812 ended the conflict between America and England, improved American foreign relations, and aided westward expansion; however Native Americans lost their land to westward moving settlers.
When the war began, it was being fought by the Americans to address their grievances toward the British. This seemed like a justifiable cause for a war, however not all of the citizens shared the same sense of unity about the political issues the war was being fought over. The US was quite upset about the continuing impressment of American sailors into the British Navy and the seizures of American merchant trading vessels by the British. Another reason the United States wished to go to war with Britain was because of their dealings with the Indians in the West. The British were not only trading with the Indians, but they were also giving them weapons and encouraging them to attack American settlements. Along with these reasons, the Americans, now becoming hungry for land, dreamed of capturing British Canada and possibly Florida for the union. Also, the Americans still contained a certain degree of resentment from the Revolutionary War, which they were eager to take out on the British. Even though these were the causes the nation was supposedly fighting for, the entire nation lacked a major driving force to gain restitution for them. The nation was not really united for the cause, as backcountry farmers didn't care about what was happening to coastal shipping businesses, as coastal shipping businesses didn't care about what was happening to the backcountry farmers. Everyone was only concerned with their own problems, and not concerned with the problems facing the nation regarding the situations its citizens were enduring.
The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain from June 1812 to the spring of 1815 (Findling, 15). When the war began, it was being fought by the Americans to address their grievances toward the British, though toward the end, the issues eventually were unjustified and reasons manipulated. There is no single cause for the War of 1812 but instead, several related causes, such the influence of the War Hawks, the impressments as well as the Embargo and Non-Intercourse acts, and the British's possible interference with the Indian Nations, and land ownership disputes between the Natives and Americans, ultimately leading to the Battle of Tippecanoe.
The War of 1812 was a war between Britain and the United States fought primarily in Upper Canada. It had many causes, few which involved British North America. The results of the war include the fact that there was no clear winner or loser among them. The only real losers in the situation were the Natives in the region. They were driven out of their lands and customs. None of the borders was changed by the war, though many attempts were made. The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, did nothing to advance the state of the countries. It went so far as to end the war and put things back the way that they were, but the main causes of the conflict were not addressed or dealt with. In order to evaluate the significance of this war, Canadian victories and losses, as well as overall results, must be analyzed.
In June of 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain for several reasons, the primary of which was the impressment of U.S. Sailors on the high seas for use in the British Navy. Once declared, the United States, under President John Madison, took the initiative and conducted a series of attacks into Canada resulting in the burning of government buildings. The British eventually repelled the attacks and took to the offensive striking at America and setting Washington D.C. ablaze in the summer of 1814. By the time the battle of New Orleans takes place in January of 1815, the Treaty of Ghent had already been signed signaling the official end to the war, however, the speed of trans-Atlantic communication proved too slow to prevent this last battle in the War of 1812. The battle of New Orleans has Major General Andrew Jackson lead U.S. Army regulars, New Orleans citizens, and militiamen from various surrounding states to repel the attacks of British General Edward Pakenham and the infantry troops he commanded (War of 1812, 2012). A series of poor decisions by the British coupled with terrain obstacles, technology and the ability to seize the initiative contributed to their defeat on 8 January 1815. This paper will examine the battle preparations and maneuvers that led to the British defeat and highlight some of the key factors in deciding the outcome of the battle.
The Treaty of Ghent supports the notion that the essential long-term national interests of both parties are the most important factor in peace treaty success. Both the United States and Great Britain clearly perceived that they had real grievances and cause for war in 1812. However, within a short time, both nations realized they had a greater interest in peace without regard to most of the issues that provoked the conflict.