The War of 1812: America's Forgotten War

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The War of 1812 has often been called America’s forgotten war. Wedged between the Revolutionary and Civil War, its causes, battles, and consequences are unknown to most Americans. The major causes of the War of 1812 were a series of economic revisions passed by the British and French against the United States as unintended consequences of the Napoleonic Wars and American unhappiness at the British practice of impressment, especially after the Chesapeake incident of 1807. In response to the 1806 British Orders in Council, which hurt American trade, the US (under Thomas Jefferson) first tried various retaliatory embargoes against the British. However these embargoes hurt the US far more than they did Britain, angering American citizens and helping the cause of War Hawks (people who favored going to war) in Congress like Henry Clay. In 1812, after defeating DeWitt Clinton in the presidential election, James Madison asked Congress to declare war against Britain which they did. There were numerous battles fought in Canada, and the Northern United States, as well as naval battles, but neither side could gain a definitive advantage. By mid 1814, the War of 1812 was becoming more costly and had lasted longer than either side had anticipated. Britain, which had other issues to deal with, chief among them the Napoleonic Wars, began to look for a way to get out of the war. In the Belgian city of Ghent American negotiators met with British diplomats. After considerable argument the treaty of Ghent was signed, officially ending the war.

In 1805, while Thomas Jefferson was the President, the world balance of power shook when the British navy defeated the French navy at the battle of Trafalgar, but the French military defeated the British...

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...ar of 1812 is often forgotten in American history because no territory changed hands and there were no long lasting effects that can be traced directly back to the war. However it lead to a period of isolationism during which the US focused on domestic issues which helped it become a leading power in the world which it remains today.

Works Cited

Coffey, Justin. “U.S. Presidential Election, 1812.” Encyclopedia of American Political parties and Elections, New York: Facts of File, Inc., 2006. American History Online. Facts of File, Inc. Web. 7 March. 2014.

Waldman, Carl. “Tecumseh’s Rebellion and the War of 1812.” Atlas of the North American Indian, Revised Edition. New York: Facts of File, Inc., 2000. American History Online. Facts of File, Inc. Web. 3 March. 2014.

“War of 1812.” Britannica School. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.

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