War of 1812 (mainly causes and effects)

War of 1812

Throughout the 19^th century, America transformed from a small, developing country into a world power. Acquisitions due to events such as The Louisiana Purchase, the Mexican Cession and the addition of Alaska, Florida, Oregon, and Texas tripled the size of the United States from 890,000 sq. miles to 2.73 million sq. miles in less than 100 years. One of the events that catalyzed this expansion was the War of 1812. The war is sometimes called “America’s second war for independence” because Great Britain was still interfering with American affairs. One definite cause of the war cannot be pinpointed because there were many factors that compounded upon one another. They can be whittled down to four main concerns which are maritime and trade issues, the Embargo Act, territorial expansion, and War Hawks.

The dispute on the seas and involving trade may have been the biggest concern. Britain was blockading any ship from going to France because of a war between the two countries, and as a result, ships had to first go through a British port in order to trade in France. Britain considered any ship that did not stop any enemy. On top of the trade dilemma was the problem of British search and seizure on the high seas. The British felt they had the right to search for deserters on any ship, anywhere in the ocean. Sometimes British generals made mistakes and American citizens would be wrongly accused of deserting. Many times it would take years for the mistake to be corrected.

To try to influence the European economy, President Jefferson passed the Embargo Act in 1807. It stopped almost every American vessel from sailing and closed trade with Europe; however, instead of disturbing Britain’s economy, the act adversely affected every region of the U.S., and its economy stalled. The Embargo lasted until 1810 when Congress passed Macon’s Bill No. 2, which reversed everything the Embargo Act had enforced. Americans were still mad at Britain, though, because it had not opened up free trade.

British officers in Canada realized the increasingly hostile relations between the United States and Britain, and because of this they began making friendships with Indians residing in the Northwest region of the United States. It was easy for the British to make friendships because of the pressure being put on Indians by the westward expansion of the United States. During the war, Americans called for an invasion of Canada mainly because of the support the British were giving the Indians of the Northwest.

The last primary cause of the war was the War Hawks. This nickname was given to Republicans who wanted to go to war with Britain. Many of them had just been elected into office and wanted to change the direction of the country. Some historians say the War Hawks must be blamed for the war because they wanted to fight even though the U.S.’s military was inadequate at the time. These historians feel that the War Hawks wanted war because they needed it to recover America’s self-respect that they and fellow Republicans had destroyed.

The war of 1812 had a few small effects on the United States at the time, but these accomplishments would lead to larger things. America gained international respect after the war for resisting Great Britain for the second time in less than forty years. Not only did the war prove the U.S.’s military, but it also strengthened its army. The U.S. learned how to train its servicemen, and it now had battle tested leaders. This factor would help the U.S. create one of the most powerful militaries in the world. Its military would later help America expand by land acquisitions from the Spanish-American and Mexican-American Wars. The War of 1812 also strengthened America’s economy. The British blockade of America’s coast forced the U.S. to manufacture goods it normally imported, so after the war dependence on foreign countries was greatly diminished.

In 1846, the term “Manifest Destiny” began to be used in the United States. It stated that it was America’s destiny to span from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. It would have been impossible to obtain this goal if the War of 1812 had not happened. The U.S.’s military may never had taken off as it did after the war, and it would not have become as organized. Americans would not have acknowledged the immense feeling of nationalism as they did after the war, and the people may never have had the ambition to span the distance between the oceans. The War of 1812 gave the U.S. military power, a strengthened economy with less foreign dependence, and the confidence to expand its borders to eventually span the continent by the year 1900.

Bibliography

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Grade Received: A