The War Of 1812 Analysis

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Recommended: American history 1865 to 1900

There has been a great deal of controversy between the interpretations of the war of 1812, also know as, “the forgotten war.” Some say it’s the efforts of James Madison to try and measure up to great leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, of Franklin Roosevelt. But, was this really because of James Madison’s own pettiness or because of miscommunications between countries? One war or another, this war was to lead us towards independence, but some historians might not agree on the easy answer, but go deeper into the source of the war and its effects in America. Each historian had their own personal question to answer about the war of 1812, but many had the question, “Why.” Each historian can have his or her own perspective on why this Some may even call it a different name as Don Nardo, in his book, “The War of 1812,” explains how President Harry S. Truman called it “The silliest damn war we ever had.” This already expresses how the author doesn’t exactly agree with the fact that this war was fought, especially calling it, “silly,” isn’t expressing such like to this event. Nardo begins to take the side of the British and their unawareness to why the United States had even declare war, yet both these authors have their own perspective on the War of 1812. He begins to quote a letter from the Examiner, a popular London Newspaper, which expressed the way that many British people were thinking, “If the Father of evil himself had planned this mischief, he could not have contrived a rupture more hateful to humanity, or one more destitute of the more remote advantage to any body.” Which interprets that many British people didn’t understand why this would happen after all Britain has done for them, yet most of them are perplexed to the understanding of “why,” and this is what most historians are here to look for the answer. The author says that the war of 1812 was because of a steady buildup of tension between the two nations. The United States would complain how British mistreatment of American sailors, British friendship with Native Americans, trade policies and taxes. These problems could be resolved through peaceful means, but neither of them made the

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