thesis statement for the war of 1812

“The War of 1812”

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Causes of The War of 1812

• Course of the War

Effects of The War of 1812

War of 1812 conclusion.

United States and Great Britain engaged in war in 1812, hence named “The War of 1812”. This war lasted for three years, that is, from 1812 to 1815.

It resulted from the cropping anger of the Americans over trade issues, impressments of American sailors, and British aid of the Indian attacks on the front line against the Native Americans (Roosevelt, 113). Although some of the Americans thought of 1812 War as a second war of independence, during this war, neither the British nor the Americans gained any decisive advantage.

The 1812 War took place during the reign of President Madison; he had declared war against the British after collision of the Americans with the British. The conflict between the Americans and the British had resulted from the British support of the Indians, Americans’ enemies.

The Indians had inputted much effort in doing away with the American administration, for instance, they fought the American troops leading to the reduction of the Americans power. In addition, the Indians offered protection to the British that resided in North America, this close association between the British and the Indians catalyzed American anger hence the outbreak of 1812 War.

Course of War

1812 War had its spark from a group of young politicians in the House of Representatives in America known as war hawks led by Henry Clay and John Calhoun.

The war hawks had diverse reasons as to why they demanded for the declaration of war against the British, and some of the reasons included the British violation of international laws that opposed disruption of marketing practices, the disrespect showed by the British, and the kidnapping act of the British.

For instance, the British violated international laws opposing disruption of marketing places by seizing American ships that transported goods for trade. The Americans considered the act of seizing American ships at their territory by the British as a show of disrespect. They therefore considered war as a solution, hence the War of 1812.

The British act of kidnapping innocent American sailors was also one of the causes of the 1812 War, the British captured and enslaved American sailors hence contributing to the rise of war hawks’ anger. The Chesapeake Affair of 1807 was also a contributing factor to the war of 1812, in 1807; the British soldiers managed to get aboard of American ship and killed innocent Americans that they caught, an act that left Americans burning with anger.

The neutrality act of Americans also contributed to the outbreak of the 1812 war, the Americans had the habit of carrying out their trading activity without showing interest or concern of the war that was taking place between the French and the British. The neutrality act portrayed by the Americans made the British take advantage of them.

The Americans started mistreating them by seizing their ships and capturing innocent American sailors (Hannay, 107).The succession of the British in the 1805 war against the French worsened the relationship between the British and the Americans, it led to the declination of the American participation in the trading activities across the seas.

Although the treaty of Ghent signed in December 1814 did not touch on any issues concerning the causes of the 1812 War, it contributed immensely towards the end of the 1812 War. The American and the British representatives had met at Ghent in Belgium with the intention of signing a peaceful treaty. According to the signed treaty, all conquered states were to be returned.

The treaty also paved way for the planning of commissions that solved boundary issues that existed between America and Canada. Via the signed treaty, the Americans were also able to restore their war lands and ships that had been captured by the British (Cullum, 133). In addition, the treaty contributed to the British promising to return the slaves it had captured.

Success of 1812 is based on the efforts of Andrew Jackson, in 1815, Andrew Jackson together with his poorly trained troops managed to win the Battle of New Orleans. The war had taken place between British and the Americans who had not gotten the news of the signed treaty.

Andrew Jackson with his outnumbered American army had managed to defeat the well trained and equipped British soldiers in the war that lasted for three years (Auchinleck, 89). The Battle of New Orleans had depicted the nationalism of the American volunteers, hence signifying the importance of Andrew Jackson.

In conclusion, the 1812 War was as a result of conflicts between the British and the Americans, it had resulted from the British overlooking the American neutrality. The 1812 war lasted for three years. In addition to the war contributing the drop of the American trading activity, it also led to the loss of many lives.

The British together with the Indians fought the Americans leading to the reduction of American powers. However, the efforts of the war hawks together with Andrew Jackson’ effort contributed immensely to the success of the American troops against the British.

Works cited

Auchinleck, Gilbert. A History of the War Between Great Britain and the United States of America: During the Years 1812, 1813, and 1814 . New York: Maclear & Company, 1855. Print.

Cullum, George. Campaigns of the War of 1812-15, Against Great Britain – Sketched and Criticised – With Brief Biographies of the American Engineers. New York: Symonds Press, 2010. Print.

Hannay, James. History of the War of 1812 Between Great Britain and the United States of America. New York: HardPress, 2012. Print.

Roosevelt, Theodore. The Naval War of 1812 . New York: Echo Library, 2007. Print.

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War of 1812

By: History.com Editors

Updated: April 24, 2023 | Original: October 27, 2009

In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country’s future. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory. 

The United States suffered many costly defeats at the hands of British, Canadian and Native American troops over the course of the War of 1812, including the capture and burning of the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., in August 1814. Nonetheless, American troops were able to repulse British invasions in New York, Baltimore and New Orleans, boosting national confidence and fostering a new spirit of patriotism. The ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 17, 1815, ended the war but left many of the most contentious questions unresolved. Nonetheless, many in the United States celebrated the War of 1812 as a “second war of independence,” beginning an era of partisan agreement and national pride.

Causes of the War of 1812

At the outset of the 19th century, Great Britain was locked in a long and bitter conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte’s France. In an attempt to cut off supplies from reaching the enemy, both sides attempted to block the United States from trading with the other. In 1807, Britain passed the Orders in Council, which required neutral countries to obtain a license from its authorities before trading with France or French colonies. The Royal Navy also outraged Americans by its practice of impressment, or removing seamen from U.S. merchant vessels and forcing them to serve on behalf of the British.

In 1809, the U.S. Congress repealed Thomas Jefferson ’s unpopular Embargo Act, which by restricting trade had hurt Americans more than either Britain or France. Its replacement, the Non-Intercourse Act, specifically prohibited trade with Britain and France. It also proved ineffective, and in turn was replaced with a May 1810 bill stating that if either power dropped trade restrictions against the United States, Congress would in turn resume non-intercourse with the opposing power.

After Napoleon hinted he would stop restrictions, President James Madison blocked all trade with Britain that November. Meanwhile, new members of Congress elected that year—led by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun—had begun to agitate for war, based on their indignation over British violations of maritime rights as well as Britain’s encouragement of Native American hostility against American westward expansion .

Did you know? The War of 1812 produced a new generation of great American generals, including Andrew Jackson, Jacob Brown and Winfield Scott, and helped propel no fewer than four men to the presidency: Jackson, John Quincy Adams, James Monroe and William Henry Harrison.

The War of 1812 Breaks Out

In the fall of 1811, Indiana’s territorial governor William Henry Harrison led U.S. troops to victory in the Battle of Tippecanoe . The defeat convinced many Indians in the Northwest Territory (including the celebrated Shawnee chief Tecumseh ) that they needed British support to prevent American settlers from pushing them further out of their lands. 

Meanwhile, by late 1811 the so-called “War Hawks” in Congress were putting more and more pressure on Madison, and on June 18, 1812, the president signed a declaration of war against Britain. Though Congress ultimately voted for war, both House and Senate were bitterly divided on the issue. Most Western and Southern congressmen supported war, while Federalists (especially New Englanders who relied heavily on trade with Britain) accused war advocates of using the excuse of maritime rights to promote their expansionist agenda.

In order to strike at Great Britain, U.S. forces almost immediately attacked Canada, which was then a British colony. American officials were overly optimistic about the invasion’s success, especially given how underprepared U.S. troops were at the time. On the other side, they faced a well-managed defense coordinated by Sir Isaac Brock, the British soldier and administrator in charge in Upper Canada (modern Ontario). 

On August 16, 1812, the United States suffered a humiliating defeat after Brock and Tecumseh’s forces chased those led by Michigan William Hull across the Canadian border, scaring Hull into surrendering Detroit without any shots fired.

War of 1812: Mixed Results for American Forces

Things looked better for the United States in the West, as Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s brilliant success in the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813 placed the Northwest Territory firmly under American control. Harrison was subsequently able to retake Detroit with a victory in the Battle of Thames (in which Tecumseh was killed). Meanwhile, the U.S. navy had been able to score several victories over the Royal Navy in the early months of the war. With the defeat of Napoleon’s armies in April 1814, however, Britain was able to turn its full attention to the war effort in North America. 

As large numbers of troops arrived, British forces raided the Chesapeake Bay and moved in on the U.S. capital, capturing Washington, D.C ., on August 24, 1814, and burning government buildings including the Capitol and the White House .

Inspiration for 'The Star Spangled Banner'

On September 11, 1814, at the Battle of Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain in New York, the American navy soundly defeated the British fleet. And on September 13, 1814, Baltimore’s Fort McHenry withstood 25 hours of bombardment by the British Navy. 

The following morning, the fort’s soldiers hoisted an enormous American flag, a sight that inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem that would later be set to music and become known as  “ The Star-Spangled Banner .” (Set to the tune of an old English drinking song, it would later be adopted as the U.S. national anthem.) British forces subsequently left the Chesapeake Bay and began gathering their efforts for a campaign against New Orleans .

End of the War of 1812 and Its Impact

By that time, peace talks had already begun at Ghent (modern Belgium), and Britain moved for an armistice after the failure of the assault on Baltimore. In the negotiations that followed, the United States gave up its demands to end impressment, while Britain promised to leave Canada’s borders unchanged and abandon efforts to create an Indian state in the Northwest. On December 24, 1814, commissioners signed the Treaty of Ghent , which would be ratified the following February. 

On January 8, 1815, unaware that peace had been concluded, British forces mounted a major attack in the Battle of New Orleans , only to meet with defeat at the hands of future U.S. president Andrew Jackson ’s army. News of the battle boosted sagging U.S. morale and left Americans with the taste of victory, despite the fact that the country had achieved none of its pre-war objectives.

Impact of the War of 1812

Though the War of 1812 is remembered as a relatively minor conflict in the United States and Britain, it looms large for Canadians and for Native Americans, who see it as a decisive turning point in their losing struggle to govern themselves. In fact, the war had a far-reaching impact in the United States, as the Treaty of Ghent ended decades of bitter partisan infighting in government and ushered in the so-called “Era of Good Feelings.” 

The war also marked the demise of the Federalist Party , which had been accused of being unpatriotic for its antiwar stance, and reinforced a tradition of Anglophobia that had begun during the Revolutionary War. Perhaps most importantly, the war’s outcome boosted national self-confidence and encouraged the growing spirit of American expansionism that would shape the better part of the 19th century.

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French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812 Essay

Thesis Statement: The American history has been characterized by many years of war through military struggles, before and after its independence, which includes the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812.

The French Indian war was a struggle between the French and the Britons since 1754 to 1763. In the 1750s, the French and Britons rose against each other in Europe although the war extended to North America.

The British colonists were pursuing the French’s Northern American territory and conger fur trade in the region extending from Virginia up to Nova Scotia. In return, the French Governor-General, Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière , commanded a military expedition in the region to mark their territory, evaluate the British powers and most importantly, astound the Indians through military show off (Cave, 2004).

The British military struggled against the French military as well as the Native Americans, who were afraid that they would lose their land to the Britons. The unrest concluded in 1759 after James Wolfe, British Major general seized Quebec. In the course of the war, a peace treaty was signed in 1763 where the Britons acquired most of the territory that belonged to the French.

Consequently, the Britons avenged against the French by colonists taxation. The war modified the social, political as well as economic interactions that existed among the European nations i.e. Spain, France and Great Britain, as well as the colonies and the Native Americans. Great Britain and France faced heavy financial costs which affected their economic growth (Cave, 2004).

On the other hand, the American Revolution was a political turmoil in the late eighteenth century where 13 North American colonies united to secede from British Empire to comprise the United States of America. It was as a result of social-political as well as intellectual changes better known as the American enlightenment.

Its importance in the American history cannot be underestimated since it led to the formation of the United States. Like the French and Indian War, it happened over a period of seven years, which was initiated by the thirteen colonies disregarding orders from Parliament of Great Britain to rule them from abroad with no representation in America. In 1774, the colonies had created provincial congress as autonomous states.

As a result, the British reacted by commanding their military to re-inflict direct rule (Wallenfeldt, 2009). The new states united to guard their self governance and control the British forces in 1775 and reject British monarchy or aristocracy. On October 1781, the Revolutionary War came to an end as Americans won and became a sovereign nation while the British surrendered under the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783.

Therefore, the result of the struggle was formation of democratically voted delegate administration to serve the interests of the majority population. Issues of national governance were handled to create a federal government through U.S constitution ratification in seventeen eighty eight and United States Bill of Rights in 1791, which offered natural rights and personal liberties to the citizens (Wallenfeldt, 2009).

The War of 1812- 1815 was the initial military struggle between the USA and Great British forces after the U.S its gained independence. It was announced by America in June 1812 since they wanted to expand northwest, trade barriers as a result of France unrest with Britain, British aid to American- Indian tribes to oppose American expansion among other reasons.

Until 1814, British forces were only defending their interests and repelled various invasions from American military in the Canadian border. Following the American revolutionary war, the British did not leave the American land surrounding great lakes, while imposing trade barrier and supporting Indians to resist expansion.

Therefore like the previous wars, the War of 1812 was due to socio-economic and political reasons. The American victory in 1814 led to the amendment of the American foreign policy, its recognition as a world power and its confirmation of independence through signing the Treaty of Ghent (Wallenfeldt, 2009).

In conclusion, French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812 were due to socio-economic and political reasons particularly the issue of land. All the three wars were fought within the American boundaries and notably, the Great Britain was involved in all the three wars. The wars are significant in establishment of a liberal republicanism in the U.S characterized by democracy, which formed the basis of a political tradition apparent today.

Cave, A. A. (2004). The French and Indian War . Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Wallenfeldt , J. (2009). The American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812: People, Politics, and Power . New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.

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IvyPanda. (2018, September 11). French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812. https://ivypanda.com/essays/french-and-indian-war-the-american-revolution-and-the-war-of-1812/

"French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812." IvyPanda , 11 Sept. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/french-and-indian-war-the-american-revolution-and-the-war-of-1812/.

IvyPanda . (2018) 'French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812'. 11 September.

IvyPanda . 2018. "French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812." September 11, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/french-and-indian-war-the-american-revolution-and-the-war-of-1812/.

1. IvyPanda . "French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812." September 11, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/french-and-indian-war-the-american-revolution-and-the-war-of-1812/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812." September 11, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/french-and-indian-war-the-american-revolution-and-the-war-of-1812/.

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Five Reasons the War of 1812 was Important

Published: Nov 26, 2019 · Modified: Nov 6, 2023 by Russell Yost · This post may contain affiliate links ·

The War of 1812 is one of the forgotten wars in American History and is often discarded as a worthless war.

Many folks point to the fact that America did not gain any new territory and that it was nothing more than young Americans trying to take advantage of the British absorbed in the Napoleonic Wars .

However, the War of 1812 was not fought in vain, and veterans of the war played a significant role in the development of the American military and navy moving forward.

These are the Five reasons the War of 1812 was important:

• 1. It Changed America's Foreign Policy

2. Reorganized American Military

3. destroyed native alliances, 4. gave birth to new heroes, 5. set the stage for westward expansion, 1. it changed america's foreign policy.

During the first 12 years of America's existence, Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party influenced foreign policy.

The Federalists favored a strong standing army and navy, and during President George Washington's two terms and John Adams the only term, they began to build a stronger military.

The Federalists believed that a strong military would keep the young nation out of the entangling alliances in Europe and could protect them from English and French Impressment.

Thomas Jefferson opposed these policies and believed in a more idealistic view that would be adopted. He began dismantling the military, especially the Navy.

Thomas Jefferson's protege, James Madison , took office after him and followed in the same footsteps as Jefferson.

That is until the War of 1812 occurred, the British returned to American soil, and their Navy threatened the United States. Jefferson's gunboats were useless against these powerful frigates, and it became clear that America would need to improve its naval prowess.

After the United States escaped the war, it began to improve its navy. Their Navy would become one of the most powerful navies in the world by the time of the Civil War .

The American Military had not seen a significant engagement since the American Revolution .

There had been various Indian wars on the frontier, but nothing that challenged their homeland.

America's failure to defeat the British in Canada, despite Britain's lack of defense, showed poor leadership and terrible infrastructure.

By the end of the War of 1812, America's leadership was elite, and their military was well-disciplined. It showed at the Battle of New Orleans .

Throughout the colonial period , the French and Indian War , the American Revolution, and up to the War of 1812, there was only one nation that harassed American advancement, and it was the Native Americans .

The Native American population significantly outnumbered the American population by a large number. However, they were tribal and not united against a common enemy. They spoke different languages and could not end wars with generational enemies.

Tecumseh tried to unite the tribes and create an Indian Nation that would serve as a buffer. He had British support, but that support ended after his death at the Battle of the Thames .

After he died, so did his influence, and Indian tribes would be picked off one by one as America continued its expansion. Their participation in the wars against the Americans was not forgotten.

They would struggle for existence throughout the rest of American Expansion, and while they were brave in the face of annihilation, in the end, American technology and unity were too much for them to overcome.

The American Revolution gave a generation of heroes that boys grew up hearing about. Men like George Washington , Francis Marion , Daniel Boone , Daniel Morgan , Nathanael Greene , and Benjamin Franklin dominated the narrative.

Each president elected up to the War of 1812 had served in or had a significant connection to the founding of the United States.

The War of 1812 brought new military heroes that would influence a new generation. The most significant were Andrew Jackson , William Henry Harrison , Davey Crockett, and Winfield Scott .

The most notable of these men was Andrew Jackson, who would be elected the 7th President and change the course of American policy until the Civil War .

William Henry Harrison would be elected the 9th President and die a month later.

The losers of the War of 1812 were not the British nor Americans, but the Native Americans.

They were fragmented, and America was hungry to expand. Soon, the West began to be settled, and new states began to be admitted into the Union. This would eventually put them at odds with Mexico, which would lead to the Mexican War .

The United States upgraded its military and, by the time of the Mexican War, had become a superior military force able to execute complicated campaigns against the Mexicans.

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