Domestic opposition and economic hardship during the War of 1812

American History

War of 1812

The war was unpopular with many Americans because of many different reasons. First, the war was largely unplanned, and American was not prepared. They didn't have enough supplies or money to pay the men, and they suffered as a result. The Americans suffered defeats, (even the burning of Washington, D.C.), and the British blockaded American ports, which brought the American economy to a standstill. Imports and exports were essentially halted, and merchants were facing bankruptcy. Of course, the people were not happy about this, and as the war dragged on, it became increasingly unpopular.

In addition, before the war, British naval power was the superior naval power in the world, and the French, after a defeat at British hands, stopped trading with Britain, and asked most other European countries to stop, as well. Thus, the majority of Great Britain's trade was with the United States before the war, and there were few other avenues open to the U.S., with European ports blockaded. So, when the British blockaded American ports, there was nowhere else to trade, and trade fell even more than it had before the war.

There was another group of Americans who felt that all of America, including British Canada, should have been conquered during the Revolutionary War and then ceded to the Americans, so they felt the War of 1812, which began with Americans attempting to conquer Canada, should not have had to take place at all.