The War of 1812 The United States of America began to see the effects of Anglo-French War by the early 1800's. This European quarrel began affecting the United States shipping industry. Britain and France were violating neutral shipping rights of American merchants. They thought of America as weak due to inadequate time the nation had to develop. These violations were the first and primary provoking factors that led to war with Britain.
“The United States had been upset with British for several reasons. British failed to withdraw from American territory along the Great Lakes despite United States victory during the Revolutionary war. British military allegedly supported the Indians on American frontier; and their unwillingness to sign commercial agreements favorable to the United States.” American resentment grew during the United Kingdom’s ongoing war with Napoleon’s France. France had domination over the continent of Europe, while Britain had power over the seas. This affected many countries, and it particularly affected America’s trade.
During this time, Britain was at war with Napoleon and wanted to hurt France economically. To do so, Britain tried to restrict French trade with other nations, including America. “Not content with these occasional expedients for laying waste our neutral trade, the cabinet of Britain resorted at length to... ... middle of paper ... ...ended the hatred between American and British soldiers. Although America did not win The War of 1812, due to the Battle of Lake Erie, they did not lose it. The war was caused by the impressment of American soldiers, blockades on American trade, and Indian slaughters on the American frontier.
The primary causes of the war were England’s refusal to restrict trading with America, conflict with the Indians, and America’s ambition to expand. The results, however, did not reflect the desired outcome of the Indians, British, nor the Americans. In an effort to prevent any incidents that might cause America to go to war, Jefferson passed the Embargo in 1807, which created a "serious depression throughout most of the nation" (Brinkley 189). Congress then passed the Non-Intercourse Act in 1809, opening trade all countries but England and France. A year later the Non-Intercourse expired, and Macon’s Bill 2 was put into effect.
The War of 1812 has often been called America’s forgotten war. Wedged between the Revolutionary and Civil War, its causes, battles, and consequences are unknown to most Americans. The major causes of the War of 1812 were a series of economic revisions passed by the British and French against the United States as unintended consequences of the Napoleonic Wars and American unhappiness at the British practice of impressment, especially after the Chesapeake incident of 1807. In response to the 1806 British Orders in Council, which hurt American trade, the US (under Thomas Jefferson) first tried various retaliatory embargoes against the British. However these embargoes hurt the US far more than they did Britain, angering American citizens and helping the cause of War Hawks (people who favored going to war) in Congress like Henry Clay.
Britain’s tactics to control the Americas had been causing various troubles and irritations to the colonists. The colonists had to deal with taxation without representation, also known as virtual representation such as the Stamp Act or Tea Act and also other unpleasant laws passed by the British such as the Quartering Acts. A significant event that is notable for altering the political, economic and ideological relations between the colonies and Britain is the French and Indian War. This was fundamentally the cause of the American Revolution. The relationship between the colonists and the British was already weak but after this war the ties became even weaker than imaginable.
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