War Of 1812 Compare And Contrast Essay

Similarities and differences are prominent between the United States before and after the War of 1812 with its foreign relationships, politics, and Native Americans.

Relationships between the British and the Americans were well strained both before and after the war; however, following the war, the Treaty of Ghent was signed to provide a resolution to conclude the war and provide a compromise. Before the War of 1812, the French Revolution had taken a toll on British and French relations. Since the United States had an alliance with France at the time and had a proclamation of neutrality, complications arose when the British proceeded with their selfish practice of impressment. It was understood that the Americans at this time should keep

their distances from European altercations, yet with territorial ambitions and yearnings for freedom, the goals that could be achieved from the war made the advancement desirable. The Napoleonic Wars concluded in 1814, the practice of impressment ceased; therefore, after the War of 1812 ended in 1815, this harassing practice halted between the British and the Americans. The two nations put forth more effort into compromising their relationship, for the Treaty of Ghent ended the war of 1812. They came to settle that “never again would the British… pose a threat to American control of [its] vast” lands; the United States had a greater distance from interactions with the Europeans continent (Foner 246-247). British interference would severely lessen for the next century, and internal political changes began to shape the United States.
Federalists and Republicans were both apparent political parties before the war; a result of the war was the dismantling of the Federalist Party and the dominant rise in the Republican Party that stayed in power.

Prior to the war of 1812, the Federalists and Republicans had a rivalry in their ideas for the developing nation with the former believing that the template of the British’s strict systems was appropriate for the United States while the Republicans preferred the model of a self-government, disconnecting from past displeasures. Thomas Jefferson, an antifederalist, wanted to enforce a total embargo as an action against Britain, infuriating the New Englanders since their economy was greatly dependent on British commerce, and the policy disrupted trade. This was the Republican’s risk for a declaration of war that the Federalists set disapproval towards. Rebelliously, the New Englanders condemned the War of 1812 and managed to have British goods imported into New England ports. The New England Federalists called for the Hartford Convention after their intermingling with the British and threatening to secede. This meeting was to discuss their opposing ideas from the Republicans and an attempt to revise the Constitution to be in their favor, hoping to prohibit another long-term embargo. The complaints that the Federalists presented were considered traitorous and unpatriotic with the threat of succession and the strong connection they maintained with Britain. The

party came to an end as a result, and the Republican Party was still left in power following the War of 1812. Seeming like a victory for the Republicans, another victory came prior to the war, for President Thomas Jefferson scored the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Native Americans endured drastic changes before the war due to the Louisiana Purchase, and following the war, their experiences as the underdogs of the nation. The vast amount of land that France agreed to sell to the Americans scored President Jefferson a tremendous quantity of land for a low price; aside from the money expense of this land, it came with the cost of the Native Americans dealing with much hardship. The land was once owned by the Native Americans, and after the purchase, it was held by the federal government. The status of the Native Americans diverged due to their severe loss of land and traditional culture. With the American thirst for expansion, the Native Americans were dominated and vulnerable, and their attempts for any resistance would prove ineffective. Tenskwatawa was an advocate for a revival of the traditional Native American culture and for the whites to be segregated. Tecumseh called for an attack against the Americans, but their village Prophetstown was destroyed in the Battle of Tippecanoe. Native Americans were of assistance during the War of 1812, but afterwards, they had several treaties negotiated between them and the federal government requesting them to secede their lands, calling for the Native Americans to move to land reservations west of the Mississippi with rather poor conditions. They pushed towards resistance with the Black Hawk war and the Second Seminole War; however, the American population far outnumbered the natives who were at a great disadvantage.