American History (Essay Sample)

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American History
The war of 1812 is time and gain seen as United State’s 2nd war towards independence. This is because the nation was relatively young to enter into another conflict after winning its independence. Nevertheless, the war pitted America against Great Britain. Some have even labeled it as the forgotten war possibly because it appears less when people discuss America’s road to independence plus global power. President J. Madison led the country during the time and even though he ended up asking the Congress to enter into war, the stage was already set and war seemed inevitable (Hickey, p 5-11). Several factors contributed to the war between these great nations. This article looks into the nature of the war by describing its causes and eventual consequences for the young nation.
It is a fact that certain events lead to the war of 1812. One event that contributed to this war was the division of land following the revolution. This issue did not lead everyone to satisfaction. For instance, the loss of the Ohio River region did not go down well with British and Canadian merchants. This was because the region housed critical fur trade routes. In addition, the place served home to a huge Amerindian population who supported the British throughout the American Revolution. During the division process, the Amerindian population also argued for the development of an Indian state and the British welcomed the notion. Meanwhile, the Americans felt that offering such support would threaten their expansion plus the policy of switching Indians to farmers would give up their hunting territories for American use. Most of the Americans were afraid of the Indian tribe being stimulated by the British plus destroying their settlement. The already increasing fear was worsened by the arrival of a new Amerindian leader who sought the unification of the tribes. Americans believed that frontier warfare with this tribe had been incited by the British. Native Americans led by W. Harrison gathered a group of fighters to attack Tecumseh’s city, but they lost. There was a battle at Tippecanoe and it further reinforced feelings that the British were behind it. A decision was made that to halt these hostilities, Americans population on the frontier ought to remove the foreign influence. This was enough reason to declare war with Great Britain. Indeed, this lead to the emergence of a small but influential group led by H. Clay who demanded war with Britain in 1810 (Youmans, 2009). Clashes with local Americans on the frontiers were frequent, and many Americans felt that the British had something to do with it. Settlers were shifting further west before the government surveys, and often influencing Native Americans to enter treaties that were against their interests. On the whole, the loud calls demanded war with Britain because many people felt that it was the best method to retaliate against them. These events increased the likelihood of war.
However, war fever had existed between the two nations involved. Another source of tension arose in 1806 after Napoleon declared that numerous European ports be blocked to British ships. Later, he extended the policy to include neutral ships who entered British ports prior arriving at the continent. A series of Britain’s Orders in Council were meant to address this issue. One of them required neutral ships to gain license in a British port prior sailing to Europe. Clearly, there was a contradiction and neutrals had to choose whose orders to follow. What is more, tension was increased by Britain’s colonies as a result of the American Revolution. England and France had already renewed endemic enmity, and American shippers benefitted by taking over trade with territories in France and Spain. Resultantly, Britain established the Orders of Council targeted at impeding American trade with some of these territories because they were warring. According to the council, any shipping in violation of the regulation could be seized. Expectedly, America did not take it kindly and though risky, American shippers defied the regulation. For instance, in 1807, a British vessel tried to confiscate the American Chesapeake. British naval vessels had made it clear their intention to harass American property. Worth noting is that the captain of the vessel Chesapeake refused to be harassed, and the British vessel fired on them killing several Americans. Others were wounded during that attack. Clearly, the British viewed America as a threat to their long-standing maritime supremacy plus did not have a problem restricting its trading despite American neutrality. Ultimately, the main events leading to the conflict revolved around neutral rights. Indeed, this theme characterized Madison’s statement to the Congress and became the driving force behind Americans against the British (Turner, p 47-49). Economic distress that the young nation felt as a result of the blockade also contributed to the war. This was evidenced through frequent debates in the Congress regarding the best means possible to deal with the British. The declaration of war against the perceived enemy was signed on 18 June, and the war began. This series of events culminated in the infamous war.
The consequences associated with this war for the young country were both positive and negative. For instance, for all the awkward fumbling plus incompetence with which the was fought, the United States emerged victorious. Given the fact that the peace treaty agreed in Belgium failed to tackle the original grievances a sense of victory was nevertheless present across the United States. Persons including A. Jackson and others were highly revered. In terms of future United State’s politics, the country hit a milestone following the war. Another victory against an influential player in world matters also helped boost American nationalism plus paved the path for a principally isolationist 19th century country. Though it would take about a century before America became a global power, the country’s sovereignty across the Western hemisphere would never be questioned following the war. Altogether, Americans were victorious again against arguably the greatest power during the time. Consequently, it managed to establish economic independence as well as the much-desired free to trade plus ship goods to thriving markets in Europe. Expectedly, this gave America the leeway to accelerate economic growth plus become prosperous and influential in global matters. For instance, many European nations started to view the United States as a budding major global power. American industry also jump-started due to minimal or no competition with British manufacturers, and this accelerated the pace of northern industrialization – a process that continued for tens of decades with few interruptions. The outlook in the north would never be the same after the war as the place became industrialized (O’neill &...