The War of 1812: causes and consequences

War of 1812 Causes

The early part of the nineteenth century was eventful in United States history because it marked a time when the country was trying to grow from its infancy. The government had been functioning well for almost two decades, the monetary system was gaining the U.S. trading partners overseas, and the military was growing as the U.S. added heavy frigates to their small arsenal. One problem was the country had not truly separated from England in all matters, and many still thought of themselves as quasi-British subjects. Of course, that is the way Britain thought also. The fact that the United States had won its independence did not mean that the British recognized that fact in every way. Although the U.S. was recognized by Britain as a sovereign nation, they did not accept the fact that people who had been born in England were now American citizens. Another issue was with the disputed Northwest territory which is now a part of states from Ohio to Wisconsin. The problems, both maritime and land-based, that the U.S. was having with Britain were all a consequence of how Britain continued to look at the U.S. As a colony rather than the nation that they had become. This paper looks at the issues that caused the U.S. To declare war on Britain, and what effects the war had on America.

The primary reasons for the War of 1812 were all maritime. The United States had first adopted a navy during the Revolutionary War with such famous captains of sloops and small frigates as John Paul Jones. The navy was not a major factor in many of the battles that occurred during that war because the U.S., and every other country realized the superiority of the British navy. The British imposed a blockade at all major U.S. ports that kept the colonists from importing the goods (especially war goods) that were needed on a daily basis. However, the U.S. navy had, with the help of U.S. privateers (some under the control of entrepreneur John Hancock) established itself during the revolution. Since that time the U.S. had built a small amount of heavy frigates with which they projected power in the Atlantic.

Unfortunately, there were two issues that the U.S. had with the British in the oceans. The British and the French were always at war with one another, and the U.S. was neutral in these conflicts. The British parliament enacted laws that made some amount of trade between the U.S. And France illegal. Of course, the laws themselves were illegal, but that did not stop the British from making them. It also did not stop the British from stopping U.S. merchant ships that were going to France (Hickman). This violation of international law was not the biggest grievance that the U.S. had against Britain though.

The United States had no problem finding volunteers to people its ships, but the British had a system of impressment because they could not find enough people to serve in their vast navy. Because of this, when English ships stopped a U.S. merchant ship in the open sea, they would impress all of the sailors who were of English ancestry. This was a considerable problem for the merchantmen because it left them with a crew that was often too small to pilot the ship back to a U.S. port. This practice began happening around 1803 when England's war with Napoleonic France was at its height (Hickman). The basic issue was that England did not view the U.S. As a threat, so they did not regard what they were doing as illegal. They also had the military might which allowed them to ignore the protests of ambassadors from the U.S.

The final large issue was with the Northwest territories. Britain and the United States realized that these were valuable properties. Britain wanted the territory to become a neutral Indian state that would serve as a buffer between the U.S. And Canada, but the U.S. wanted to expand (Feldmeth). The people of the United States were always looking farther west for more land, and this was one of the initial areas of westward expansion. However, the British stirred up the Indians to make trouble for the U.S. citizens entering the area.