The War of 1812 emerged in a moment of continental and transatlantic strife
Dedra#1. The United States went to war against Britain in 1812 for different factors. One factor was that Britain suppressed trade between the United States and other nations during the Napoleonic War. British laws prevented any United States ship from docking at a European port. This of course interrupted American shipping. Britain was trying to regulate American trade to make money by forcing American ships to dock in Britain, then pay taxes (Schultz, 2017). Also, Britain was thought to incite Native Americans to attack American Settlements. The British government was believed to be encouraging the attacks on the Northwest Frontier. Again, British captains were known for taking over American ships and forcing sailors to work on their ships as well.
Eliminating British influence in all aspects became the only option to find peace. The British would not stop meddling at all costs until they were over everything and the Americans were not having it nor was a group of people referred to as War Hawks from Canada. The Americans wanted to expand into territory controlled by Native Americans. The only option left was for the United States to declare war. Maass stated, “The war was a desperate act on the part of U.S. leaders brought to their wits’ end by British maritime restrictions, which were themselves desperate acts by a British government fighting for its life against Napoleon” (p.3). The significance of the War of 1812 is that the United States brought Peace between Britain and the United States after peace talks in 1814. (Schultz, 2017). Not much changed in negotiations but it was insured on who could trade where and where expansion would take place.
References:
Maass, R. W. (2015). “Difficult to Relinquish Territory Which Had Been Conquered”: Expansionism and the War of 1812*. Diplomatic History, 39(1), 70–97. https://doi-org.bethelu.idm.oclc.org/10.1093/dh/dht132
Schultz, K. M. (2017). HIST, Volume 1. [Savant Learning Systems]. Retrieved from https://savantlearningsystems.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337516600/
Taylor#2. (Fitz, 2015) said, “The War of 1812 emerged in a moment of continental and transatlantic strife.” Even though the Revolutionary War was over, Britain still maintained a small presence in America. It was a presence that a lot of Americans resented, and it was time for the English to go. It was also a period of time when Britain and France were at War with on another. America promised to remain natural in their war. However, that soon became impossible, with Britain banning us from trading with France, and France banning us from trading with Britain. America’s neutrality rights were now being violated, and we could no longer stay natural. Congress then signed a Declaration of War. Another issue that greatly angered a lot of Americans was called “impressment. (Schultz, 2017) wrote “in need of soldiers, the British began forcing Americans into British naval service, an act called impressment. Americans were obviously angered by the practice. The British impressed between 4,000 and 10,000 Americans in the buildup to the War of 1812.” This act is absolutely astonishing, and would most definitely be an act of war today if another nation attempted this. During the War, there were some that saw it as an opportunity to remove any all British forces from the West. A move that would finally make America fully independent from the English.
The after-effects of the war were vital for shaping our nation. After America’s second victory over Britain, we showed the world that we were now a strong independent nation and a major player on the world stage. Another important effect is that the war completely removed all British forces from the western territorys, which was a huge weight off of our shoulders. Finally, it surged American patriotism, and love of country. Americans now had an identity all their own, that no longer involved Britain.
