War Of 1812 Dbq

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Since the conclusion of the Revolutionary War on 3 September, 1783, the newly created United States of America decided to keep the Continental Army as a defense against outside threats. However, the Continental Congress chose to disband the Navy for a brief period as it was not of the highest importance and the costs were too high to maintain it. The United States also attempted to practice isolationism for as long as possible during the post-Revolutionary War era because of the example that George Washington set as the first president of being an isolationist. However, the United States failed to adhere to these standards and waged war during a few occasions. The United States Army and Navy collaborated on several major wars during the period …show more content…

Although the British see it as another Napoleon proxy war, the Americans, Native Americans, and Canadians however, see it as a major war. The Navy had major success early on with the leadership of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Perry defeated Napoleon’s armies early in the Northwest territory. However, the Ghent treaty restored the old boundaries of British-Canada and the United States directly after the war. An assessment of the War of 1812 would say that the US had many successes from the joint-cooperation of the Army and Navy. However, the Army failed multiple times in supporting the Navy. The British were able to march all the way to Washington D.C. and burn the white house down. This was a notable failure by the United States Army. In addition, the treaty of Ghent saved the American Navy from any more considerable defeats by Napoleon’s Army as the British were winning late battles in the northeast. In summary, the War of 1812 was just the start of the militaristic era for the United States but the outcome did not come as …show more content…

The War of 1812 and the Mexican American War were testing grounds for the years to come. During the period ruled by the Article of Confederation, the army was only comprised of reservist and the Navy had been disbanded. After the Naval Act of 1794, which established a permanent and standing naval force, the military then became slightly of more importance to the United States Government. However, after the conclusion of the Mexican-American War, the United States realized the importance of having a strong military and what one can do, hence the acquiring of the Mexican Cession. Although only three major wars were chosen between the period of 1776 to 1865, these wars represent the chronological way that the Army and Navy grew during the early and mid-nineteenth century. In addition, these were the only three major involvements that the Army and Navy cooperated in together. Overall, the early nineteenth century was needed for the successful growth of the United States military. Without it, the United States Army and Navy may not have been ready for the Spanish-American War or even World War

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