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Causes of 1812 war essay
The war of 1812 cause and effect
The war of 1812 cause and effect
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The declaration of war against Britain may have seemed irrational, however, it was backed by numerous reasons involving the defense of American principles. As a result of the Napoleonic Wars going on in the opposite hemisphere, Americans felt the effects. During the Napoleonic Wars, overseas trade from the United States decreased dramatically. The declaration of the War of 1812 was justified because it benefitted the entire country. While engaged in war with each other, Britain and France tried to eliminate trade from the United States from the other by capturing American ships headed into the others ports. The two countries believed that trade was a way for America to show support of one side over the other. The rapid decrease in overseas
trade due to the Napoleonic Wars, enraged western farmers. Even the president James Madison says “the great staple of our country have been cut off from their legitimate market.” The surplus of crops grown by western American farmers no longer had demand in the British and French markets. Citizens of the United States believed the British impressment of American seamen into the British navy was a violation of their rights and liberties. According to Felix Grundy “this unjust and lawless invasion of personal liberty calls loudly for the interposition of the government.” Grundy believed the only solution to this problem was to declare war. Also called the “Second War for American Independence”, the war of 1812 was supported by Americans who stood for their rights. The unlawful capturing of ships, and impressment of American men violated the rights of American citizens. To protect the rights and liberties that the United States had fought for less than half a century earlier, Congress decided to declare war in 1812.
The primary grievances of the United States that led to war with Britain was Britain interfering with trade on the high seas. According to the primary source handout on the war of 1812, “On 7 january 1807, a British Order in Council had prohibited ships from participating in the coastal trade of France and her allies” (34). The embargoes hurt the U.S far more than they did britain. Britain also were inciting Indian attacks on the frontier. But the number one grievance that lead Madison to declare the war was that british ships continually violated the American flag on the great highway of nation.
The colonists were in every right, aspect and mind, not only justified but also it was about time that they stood of and actually take action against the British. The choice of going to war with them, was the only choice that they had. All diplimatical options that they had ceased to stand a chance against the tyrant Britain. From the very beginning when the colonists felt upset against their mother country and the way that they went about the law making, up until the beginning of the war, they tried all diplimatical options that they had, by sending letters, you name it. When they didn’t work then they had no other means but to declare war.
One of the main causes of the war was Great Britains's continued practice of impressment. The ocean was a common and affective way to transport good in order to trade with other nations. Every country has the right to use the ocean; but because Britain was causing America's rights to be restricted by capturing American ships and enslaving their seamen, it caused many problems between the two countries. Document 1 is a congressional report that describes Britain's violations of our right " to use the ocean, which is the common and scknowledged highway of nations, for the purposes of transporting, in their own vessels , the products of their own soil and the acquisitions of their own industry." The report calls Britain's impressment and seizure of ships is a
Was the war of 1812 worth fighting?Consider the following: the cause of the war, the costs of the war, the treaty of ghent, and the impact of the war on american people did the war help or hurt the young united states?
America's war with Britain seemed inevitable although the Americans did everything they decently could to avoid it, although there seemed to be endless provocation by Britain, for example in 1807 when a British frigate, the leopard opened fire on an American frigate the Chesapeake. The choice before America, Jefferson the former president and his successor Madison agreed was war or submission - to fight or to undo one of the main achievements of the revolution and accept total defeat in international affairs to England. As John Quincy Adams put it "It was not a matter of dollars and cents, no alternative was left but war or the abandonment of our right as an independent nation" The offences committed against the United States were the major provocation's for the war, reasons other then vindication can be regarded as rationalisation. There was an obvious anger for what British had done to America and many Americans merely wanted revenge but the war was fought for much more then that.
Increased inexpensive imports led to business failures, bank closures, and unemployment in cities. Britain ended The War of 1812 with America and trade increases. Britain’s industrial capacity exceeded Americas’.5 Britain then exported its surplus of manufactured goods to America. U.S. factories could not compete with Europe’s low labor costs and low price of goods. American imports rose from $12.9 million in 1814 to $151 million in 1816. Businesses were forced to close.
“When on December 22, 1775, the British Parliament prohibited trade with the colonies, Congress responded in April of 1776 by opening colonial ports—this was a major step towards severing ties with Britain.” (history.state.gov) The colonies no longer depend solely on British goods, but had set up strong trading agreements with numerous countries. These agreements sustained the colonies. By setting up trade agreements with other countries, the colonies had, in a way, become “independent’ from the necessity for British goods. These British goods had become obsolete to the goods of rival
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.
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 American Revolution should never have happened. The British were not tyrannical, oppressive rulers although the American colonies perceived them to be so. The American colonists misperceptions led to revolution and independence.
Trade was important to the Maritimes. Up to 1846 Britain had provided the British North American colonies with a market for their goods, but then began a policy of free trade. Because there were no tariffs placed on any country the colonies lost a sure market for their goods. Many colonists were concerned that some might consider union with the United States and the British North American colonies was brisk with large amounts of lumber and grain being imported by the U.S. When the Americans ended the Reciprocity Treaty in 1865, many Maritimers became uneasy about the economic future. It became apparent that in order to develop thriving trade; new economic links would have to be developed. 3
...entually were unjustified and reasons manipulated. These factors, with others, caused the war of 1812, which finally put to rest the age old conflict between the British and the United States of America.
First, as the war between England and France intensified, American merchants continued to trade with both countries. In 1805, a British court ruled that enemy goods were not neutralized ...
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.
The Americans addressing grievances toward the British classified as justification for some to fight the War of 1812. The Americans suffered from the lack of unity that was created by the political difference of opinion between the citizens. Through the impressment