War Of 1812: The American Side
By: Amanda McFall
The War of 1812 was fought between the Americans, the British, the native Americans, and the Canadians. Although they all fought the same war, they all have different points of view. The U.S. declared war with Britain in June, 1812. They declared war because of British encroachments on American sovereignty. As a way to effect Britain, the Americans attacked Canada but did not succeed. When Britain then invaded the U.S., they didn't fail. The Canadians view the Americans actions as them trying to take their land, but it was them trying to hurt Britain. The Americans lost many battles throughout this war, but they also won them. There were many causes for this war. One cause was the restriction of trade between Europe and America. Another issue was the British Navy removing American seamen from American merchant vessels. Many of these issues were overseas, and mainly with Britain. At the time the British had the best naval power in the world, which was a big challenge for the Americans. What helped was that they had amazing generals such as Andrew Jackson, Jacob Brown, and Winfield Scott. The war ended with the Treaty of Ghent. If the Americans didn't stop fighting in this war, the country would of been badly hurt. This war ended the federalist party in America, won international respect for the nation, inspired the National Anthem, and removed Britain's ties with them for good.