The War of 1812

Conflict research paper

Michael Bringhurst

The War of 1812

Beginning of the Conflict

            There are a lot of factors behind the War of 1812. I want to discuss what these political factors are and how they brought about the war that is sometimes forgotten but, very impactful on America. Years before the start of the war, America had finally gained its political freedom at the end of the Revolutionary War.  We were free from the British Empire, and as a young country we had to continuously prove and fight for our newfound nationality. Being a new country, the United States had goals of growing in two main ways. Firstly through international trade from overseas, and secondly through land expansion towards the west.

 The British were, at the time, in control of the Canadian territory. They also supplied the native Americans that lived in that area with weapons. The native Americans that lived further south in the western part of the continent were also supplied with weapons and support from Great Britain. Likewise Great Britain had the most powerful Navy in the world at the time. They were currently at war with Napoleon. Both of these factors probably greatly influenced the “the British policy of boarding American ships to press British (and sometimes American) seamen into service of the Royal Navy” (Wright, 2007). In fact President James Madison at the time “believed that the motive behind British policy had been to eliminate the United States as a Maritime trading rival” (cliffnotes.com).  Not only was this imposing on American pride “The British blockade of Napoleonic Europe… hurt American trade and the British had captured close to 400 ships” (Wright, 2007). It is evident that even though America had its freedom on land we did not have freedom at sea, it was hurting our growth and our people.      

            The United States was being opposed not only at sea. To the west the British support of the native Americans was greatly hampering our ability to grow west as a country. The natives were an obvious enemy to America because we wanted to expand into their territory. This brings up a conflict of interests between natives and America. It was extremely frustrating to the young U.S. that Britain was supplying the natives. From an Americans point of view we did have our freedom, but just barely because we were literally surrounded by British rule through the Royal Navy to the east and Britain enforced natives to the north and west. As a result “the ultimate objective was to conquer British North America and to break the power of their native enemies” (Wright, 2007). The British navy was much too powerful to attack, but maritime trade rights were definitely behind the objective as well.

            There were also more concentrated political reasons for going to war. “It has also been suggested that the political troubles of the American President, James Madison, influenced the decision to go to war. Madison was becoming unpopular for his failure to stand up to Britain and gain concessions. Faced with an election in late 1812, he decided to negotiate a settlement with the British and if that failed, to go to war” (Wright, 2007). The negotiations did not succeed and as a result, if not simply for his re-election, President Madison asked congress for war. “Madison’s recommendation to congress (was) to declare war over sailors rights and British support of western frontier tribes” (Henderson). This being their justification for the war, and “The complete annexation of Canada was the end in sight” (Wright, 2007). It is obvious that America needed this war in order to grow. America wanted the war and intentionally started the war. We can see how the desire for continuous growth and freedom on a world level were enough to drive a nation to fight with the most powerful force in the world. I think this could be said about many conflicts. We enter conflict for reasons based on personal growth and what we see as liberty or what we feel we deserve. The United States willingly started the conflict, and Britain reluctantly entered what they viewed as a side conflict in the middle of their great struggle with the French.

Competing Sides of the Conflict

            It has already been briefly addressed as to who was involved with the war of 1812. We can however look at the two sides through several lenses. To begin, it is obvious that essentially three nations or groups of people were involved. The British, United States, and the Native Americans. At the surface level it is three large groups of people all fighting for land, and against the threat of supremacy or upcoming power.

We can see how in the eyes of the Native Americans they might have had a few points of view. Firstly they needed to do whatever it took to stop this young nation from taking over their lands. With the help of Britain they probably had the hope of completely ending the country before it lived long, desiring to take back all of their land up to the east coast. At the same time, although they were happy to have the British helping them, there may have been some guarded fear of the British themselves eventually colonizing their lands abstract of the U.S. Either way, they are a major part of the conflict involved, and even though it is mostly an American/Britain struggle, it is the Natives that are more directly involved in a lot of ground battles.

            We should also look at the personal decision of President James Madison when considering who was at conflict with who. This goes down to a level of internal conflict; of Madison and those that would seek him out of office. He uses this war as an opportunity to fight back politically at people within the states that disagree with him. It was a struggle of Madison against the Federalists that wanted a presidential position. Some Federalists themselves opposed the war, but by going to war Madison gained the confidence of the majority which eventually put him back in office.

            We know that there were internal competing camps in the Americas regarding what has just been discussed between Americans and natives, and also Madison and his enemies. As mentioned before, we must assert that the overlying conflict was between Great Britain and The United States. Two nations against each other. Two navy’s, one navy is world renown and the other up and coming. Two sets of ground troops, one highly trained and the other no more than men with pitch forks. Lastly this is also Madison against the officiating powers of Great Britain.

Major Events of the War

            Looking at the War of 1812 from the standpoint of critical events or turning points that led up to the war, it is safe to assert that the condition of Britain and France greatly helped the decision process of the war and the events in the war. With those two nations at odds it greatly influenced the survival of America at the beginning of the war.

            Regarding the war itself it is important to note that America desired to control the Great Lakes region with their navy, while at the same time invading and conquering upper Canada. The Canadian goal however was never realized, as a result of continuous failed attempts to break their forces. Factors that led to the failed attempts were primarily a lack of training, and the unwise dispersion of troops instead of attacking a concentrated area. In 1813 generals James Wilkinson and Wade Hampton let troops of 8,000 and 4,000  men to take Montreal. This event is notable because Hampton and Wilkinson did not get along and were at odds. As a result they failed to apply the lesson previously learned that their forces should be concentrated. They attacked at separate intervals and both were defeated by relatively small forces. Along with this, throughout the war America suffered defeats at Detroit and Niagara several times. They did however manage to take control of the Great Lakes region through efficient use of their navy.

            Major political events during the war included  the burning of York in late April 1813. “The attack on York was launched for political propaganda reasons. The Governor of New York, Daniel Tompkins, was seeking re-election and felt he may loose because of voter dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in the war” (Wright, 2007). York was burned to the ground but it did not do a whole lot regarding the status of the war.

            As mentioned above the Niagara campaign  ended in 1814 with a loss at Cork’s Creek. With this loss, it ended America’s chances to have success in the northern regions. Also in 1814, Napoleon was finally defeated by the British which freed up thousands of troops to come fight the U.S. Near the end of the war, the British burned all the buildings in Washington, including the White house, in a sort of retaliation as to what happened in York. Some end of war events, that had impact, include the signing of the Treaty of Ghent “both sides were working to come to a resolution and agreed to discuss peace terms. A meeting in Belgium of American delegates and British commissioners ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814”(“Treaty of Ghent,” 1814). The Treaty of Ghent gave America what it wanted in regards to political world freedom. “Great Britain agreed to relinquish claims to the Northwest Territory, and both countries pledged to work toward ending the slave trade. America, in turn, gained influence as a foreign power”. (our documents) Even though this treaty was signed, it did not spread to armies in the south in time. As a result Andrew Jackson successfully engaged the British in New Orleans and won.

Affects of the War of 1812

            One of the most overlooked, yet dramatic, changes of the war had to do with the timing of the wars end. As I mentioned previously, the federalist party were very opposed to the war along with many citizens in New England. As a result on December 15, 1814 “ They proposed a series of constitutional amendments that would have severely limited the power of the national government” (cliffnotes.com). The only problem with this was that these amendments were presented right before the war was over. The people then viewed the propositions as “unpatriotic”. Had the amendments been presented at an earlier time however, the National government that we are familiar with today could have been much different. So the timely end of the war greatly impacted the denial of those amendments, and hence the power that the federal government has maintained ever since.

            When we consider the timing of the war there is another affect that we should highlight. As I mentioned previously, the fact that the war started in the middle of the French and Britain war most likely saved our country. If it had been done sooner or later it is possible that Britain would be the ruler over us today. We chose to go to war at the opportune moment, not only politically for James Madison but for the country as a whole. Madison not only preserved his presidency but also the presidential office. The political victory of the war had a great impact on our ability to expand west. Even though the British technically won the battle, the natives still had to live on the same soil as us. And they subsequently no longer received supplies from the British, which enabled the United States to slowly begin to take land away from the natives, eventually all the way to the west coast. The defeat of America in the sense that we were unable to conquer Canadian land can still be felt today, simply by the fact that we are a separate country from Canada. The Treaty that was signed at the end of the war solidified once again our independence as a Nation. The political impact that happened by us going to war sent a message to the rest of the world that the United States, even as young as we were, would always be willing to fight for what we deemed necessary. This mentality is still felt worldwide today. The war was a building block in the long timeline of events that have shaped our culture as an assertive world power.

            Had the United States not gone to war for the right to world trade and freedom at sea, it is likely that we would have been unable to grow at the rate that we did. The right to world trade and international borders that we sustained at the end of the war can be viewed as a great political victory in the history of American wars. Even though the war itself was seen as a failure by some from a military point of view. The war did impact the way that we fought battles from then on out. Our battlefield failures in the War of 1812 led to future day successes. Overall, the War of 1812 has had a lasting impact on the growth of this country and the preservation of our world rights. It should also be mentioned that our National Anthem is a product of one of the successful battle stories in the war.

            To conclude, I assert that political reasons, based on money, expansion, and personal gain are the prime reasons for this war. I would assume that I might find this true about many of the wars that America has fought over the years. The conflict of ideologies and goals has everything to do with wars. This is a lesson that I am happy and grateful to have learned during the process of research.

Works Cited

Cliffnotes.com. War of 1812. 15 June 2012 <http://m.cliffnotes.com/study_guide/topicAticleId-25073,article-25032.html

Henderson, R. (n.d.). Causes and events of the war of 1812: A timeline. Retrieved from http://www.warof1812.ca/1812events.htm

United States Government, International Treaties and Related Records. (1814). Treaty of Ghent (Record Group 11). Retrieved form http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=20

Wright, A. (2007, May 28). A military history of the war of 1812. Retrieved from http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/19thcentury/articles/militaryhistoryofwarof1812.aspx