The War of 1812 (AKA: The Second Revolutionary War)
To see more information and to give an insight as to what people witnessing and taking part in the War of 1812 thought, view these two links to see quotes from figures in the war:
Quotes From The War of 1812 More Quotes From The War of 1812 Detailed Descriptions and List of All the Battles of the War of 1812 Above is a quick video from Crash Course US History describing and explaining the events of the War of 1812 and it's causes.
This is a political cartoon depicting President James Madison fighting against King George III, while two ships talk in the distance. The ships in the distance are depictions of the USS Enterprise and the HMS Boxer battling near Mohegan Island. Both commanders of the ships died, though the USS Enterprise defeated the Boxer.
Above is a 2-hour documentary describing the War of 1812 in-depth.
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LEQ: How did the War of 1812 transform the nation?
The War of 1812 started from the remnants of the European wars of the French Revolution and their successor, the Napoleonic wars. The U.S. wanted to stay neutral and avoid getting involved in foreign quarrels. However, neither France nor England would respect this neutrality. Both countries began capturing American ships and took American sailors as prisoners. The British impressed the American sailors work on British ships, against their will. This made people in the U.S. very angry. The British also never vacated the Northwest Territory, even after the Louisiana Purchase. In addition, the British also had troops protecting the Indians so that the U.S. couldn't attain the Indian land. All of this added up to Congress considering war against the British. Congress split up into two main ideals: the doves, those who didn't want war, and the war hawks, who wanted war with Britain. Another reason of the war were because most of the Americans who had a past of being friends with Britain passed on and left a whole new generation. Some of these "new generation" leaders included: Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and other war hawks. They didn't serve in the original American Revolution and didn't quite understand how hard the fight was, underestimating the British. The war lasted from 1812 to 1815. The war started when the British troops targeted America's capitol, Washington. They burned down the Capitol Building and President's house. During this, many blamed James Madison (the current president at the time) for the war and destruction of Washington. After this, the Americans had no choice but to go to war. The British then attacked Baltimore, the 4th largest city and went after Fort McHenry. It was at this battle that the song: "Star-Spangled Banner" was written and inspired by. The British weren't able to scare the Americans during this, and in the end of the war, the Americans ended up winning the war. The Battle of New Orleans was the final major battle of the War of 1812 and it was one of the greatest victories by the Americans in it. The War of 1812 transformed the nation because it made other countries respect us as a full-nation. This war made the British realize that they had finally lost their colonies, respecting America as the America it truly was, and is. **See sources used on the Citations Page** |