The Was of 1812
By: Jayda Zsarmani
Cause #1: Impressment
Britain and France went to war again in 1803. The America declared neutrality and wanted to trade with both. Neither Britain or France accepted neutrality. The British kidnapped American sailors and forced them to work on the British ships. In 1807, a British warship tried to capture the Chesapeake and American warship. The Chesapeake resisted and the British ship fired upon it an kidnapped sailors. Many Americans were furious and called for war.
Cause #2: Economic Problems: Embargo of 1807
Jefferson proposed an embargo to avoid war. The during the Embargo Act of 1807, America stopped all trade with Europe. The good result was that it kept American ships safe and it avoided war. The bad result was, without European trade the American economy suffered. During the election of 1808
Cause #3: "War Hawks" Elected
The War Hawks wanted war against Britain. In 1810 new "War Hawk" congressmen from the South and West were elected. Southern angered that Britain had damaged their trade with Europe. Western angered Indiana attacks on the frontier. Notable War Hawks, Henry Clay, later proposed a new economic system for America. He also developed many compromises to prevent civil war.
Battle of New Orleans
Britain wanted to capture New Orleans and the Mississippi River to cut off trade. The Battle of New Orleans was led by Andrew Jackson and the American troops beat the British. This battle made Andrew Jackson a national hero and inspired nationalism (patriotism) throughout the country.
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was the peace treaty that ended the war of 1812 between The United States of America and the United Kingdom. All territory returned to the original owners. America reviewed this as a "Second War of Independence."
War of 1812 Aftermath
Factories grew during the war and America depended less on British manufacturing. Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison became heroes. The Federalists unpatriotic after the Hartford Convention and “died out” . America had ended a period of nationalism and had become a world power. America turned from Europe and looked west to expand. They also created unique cultural distinct from Europe.