CAUSES OF WAR OF 1812.   Term Paper ID:3223 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Theories of various historians concerning America's declaration of war on Great Britain. Harry Coles, W.H. Goodman, Braford Perkins & Julius Pratt.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Theories of various historians concerning America's declaration of war on Great Britain. Harry Coles, W.H. Goodman, Braford Perkins & Julius Pratt. Paper Introduction: The quarrel which climaxed in an American declaration of war on Great Britain in June, 1812, revolves around one central factor in world affairs, according to historian Bradford Perkins: "America chose to remain neutral while Britain struggled for her life against Napoleon." In this struggle, Britain forcibly enlisted seamen from captured American merchant ships. England also instituted the unprecedented executive Orders in Council. These were meant to deprive Napoleon of essential goods and to reopen trade with the Continent. American seamen lost their liberty, the merchant his ships and the farmer a market for his crops. Impressment was the most aggravating and persistent American complaint. This much appears clear. But there are many reasons cited for America's declaration of war. Here are some of them, Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Taylor put forward the idea that the West wassuffering from depression and eventually became economically overextended.It blamed its troubles on the restrictive British embargoes and favored warto break down this supposed barrier to prosperity. . . [18]Ibid., p. . The United States simply lacked themilitary strength to win recognition of these principles. It was Pratt's book, The Expansionists of 1812, which really made"Western aims" an important cause of the War of 1812. Expansion hopes of the West in Canada and the Floridas. [1 ]Perkins, p. 5. 7. Here are some of them, in brief: 1. Burt rejected outright the thesis put forth by Pratt. Pratt himself made thepoint that recent scholarship had placed "new emphasis upon the westerndemand for the annexation of Canada." This arose in large part, accordingto Pratt, "from the conviction that the British were in league with thenorthwestern Indians and that only by destroying that alliance could theNorthwest continue its career of expansion."[7] Pratt traced the rise of the Northwest, its planned annexation ofCanada, and the rise of the Southwest with its plan to annex the Floridasand possibly Mexico. One could say thatthe conclusion of the war was a moral victory for America - but justbarely. America had won her self-respect. 5. The Orders in Council restricting trade. . Henry Clay, for example, a year after the war ended, stressed thetheme of national honor and self-respect. In fact,it appeared that America was not even going to gain a moral victory. Hacker suggested that the facade of national honor wasused as a pretext to grasp fertile Canadian farmland. 425. 421. 3 . Perkins points out that "emotion, chance, and halfchoices often mold relations between states as much as or more than coolreason."[4] According to Perkins, these factors played a large part in theformation of war fever in the years 18 5 to 1812. 1. 435. [7]Ibid., p. Goodman, "The Origins of the War of 1812," Mississippi ValleyHistorical Review, Vol. New York: Dutton Company, 1949.Coles, Harry L. 2. 33. The Niles Register, which beganpublication in 1811, cried out, "Accursed be the American government, andevery individual in it, who . [3]Ibid., p. 1 . [4]Ibid., p. [5]W.H. Some contemporary and modern historians blamed President Madisonhimself. Outside of this fact, the War of 1812 accomplished almost nothingtangible. . He foundthe real causes of the war "in the cumulative frustration of the Americangovernment."[9] George R. Militarily, the War of 1812 was a draw. [17]Ibid., p. [13]Ibid., p. "The Origins of the War of 1812," Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. . He said, "We had become thescorn of foreign powers, and the contempt of our citizens. Let anyman look at the degraded condition of this country before the war. had been invested.[11] Perkins does not feel think the United States went to war to add newstates to the Union. . Economic depression. [15]Ibid., v. 28 (1941), p. . . The War of 1812. "The war continued for two and a half years, and for nearly 15 yearsit has challenged those who seek to explain its coming," says Perkins.[2]Most nineteenth century historians emphasized British outrages againstAmerican commerce as the reason. Prologue to War. Coles, The War of 1812 (Chicago: University of ChicagoPress, 1965), p. [9]Harry L. 13. [2]Ibid., p. Restoration of national honor. According to Daniel Boorstin, "few events in American history havebeen so diversely judged as the War of 1812."[15] The gamut of emotionalfeeling runs the gamut from "Mr. Historian Warren Goodman has pointed out that Canadian-directedimperialism perhaps played a part.[5] Some scholars have sought to explainthe motives of the West, which most completely supported the war. Respectability and character abroad -security and confidence at home . 173. The British struggle and the omnipotence of the Royal Navy produced aharsh policy toward neutrals. But it appears that he seldom, if ever, controlled the Congress.Perkins suggests that "the war came, not because of the President, butdespite him. 4. What, then, did America gain by the War of 1812? Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965.Goodman, W.H. [14]Coles, p. But there are many reasons cited forAmerica's declaration of war. Another factor often discussed as a cause of the war is simple partyloyalty. shall agree to make peace with GreatBritain, until ample provision shall be made for our impressed seamen andsecurity shall be given for the prevention of such abominable outrages inthe future."[12] There was a growing realization that American honor wasat stake. [12]Ibid., p. We have alreadyseen that, if it was expansion of territory, she gained nothing. The quarrel which climaxed in an American declaration of war on GreatBritain in June, 1812, revolves around one central factor in world affairs,according to historian Bradford Perkins: "America chose to remain neutralwhile Britain struggled for her life against Napoleon."[1] In thisstruggle, Britain forcibly enlisted seamen from captured American merchantships. Madison's War" to the "Second War forAmerican Independence." Coles relates the causes of the war to theunsuccessful efforts of the United States to maintain its honor "in a worlddivided into two armed camps" and sees the war as "an outgrowth of ageneral European conflict that raged from 1793 to 1815."[16] Coles admits that the "reasons for the coming of the war are many andcomplicated." Though historians are in disagreement on the relative weightto be attributed to various factors, "they have, in general, discussed twosets of causes: maritime grievances and western aims."[17] The second hasbeen dismissed as a major factor, and the former must be seen in the lightof the total political and economic situation. Party loyalty. Still, the war came just when the United States might have enjoyed without a struggle the immense benefits of the neutrality in which so much . Knopf, 1969.Perkins, Bradford. Alongthis line, Louis M. 14. [8]Ibid., p. American seamen lost their liberty, themerchant his ships and the farmer a market for his crops. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1961.Pratt, Julius. BibliographyBeirne, F.F. These were meant to deprive Napoleon of essential goods and toreopen trade with the Continent. 3. They were joined by22 Republicans who bolted the party.[14] Since the war declaration wascarried by a narrow margin, the alteration of even one factor would haveaffected the outcome significantly, Coles notes. 2. After Napoleon's downfall in 1814, the issue of impressment andembargo per se naturally waned; war did not settle it. Pratt emphasized the fact that "the war began with adouble-barrelled scheme of territorial aggrandizement."[8] But ifexpansionist aims were at least partially the cause of the war, none wererealized. Impressment of seamen. .What is our present situation? Pratt, however, made itclear that his study "makes no effort to give a full account of the causesof the War of 1812, but deals with one set of causes only" and admits that"without the maritime grievances, it is safe to say, there would have beenno war."[6] Before Pratt's book, the western aims were sometimes noted ascontributing causes; after his book was published, they were accepted asthe main, and sometimes as the only real causes. Although he wascareful to say that he was dealing with only one set of actual causes, hisexplanation was often adopted as the whole story. The Indian menace inspired by Britain. . The War of 1812. It was impressment that provided a guts issue for newspaper editorsand politicians stumping for election. The War of 1812. Impressment was the most aggravating and persistent Americancomplaint. The Expansionists of 1812. Itwas perhaps Jackson's victory at New Orleans on February 4, 1815 - afterthe peace treaty had been signed - that rescued America from the truecharacter of the war: an empty treasury; a government powerless to raise aneffective army; the union threatened with dissolution; and Britishvictories. 2. No one won anything. But he also sees a differentside: Tired of the self-flagellation and the disgrace that had marred the years since 18 5, propelled by the fear of ridicule for inconsistency and by an honest interest in the nation's honor, a sufficient number of congressmen allowed themselves to support the war. Fromthat point of view, the war was valueless to both the United States andBritain. New York: Alfred A. 6. When the peace treaty was signed on Christmas Eve, 1814, "it wassimply a cessation of hostilities; both sides agreed to the status quo antebellum."[18] The treaty said nothing of alleged causes of the war - therights of neutrals and impressments. It wanted to tie those aims to the question of warwith Great Britain. Though an attack on Canada figured prominently, itwas a tactical war move rather than a procedure for annexation. From this point of view, the war was of no value to the UnitedStates. England also instituted the unprecedented executive Orders inCouncil. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith Company, 1957.----------------------- [1]Bradford Perkins, Prologue to War (Berkeley: University ofCalifornia Press, 1961), p. 255.----------------------- 1 425-26. "The sea is ours, and we must maintain thedoctrine - that no nation, no fleet, no cock-boat shall sail upon itwithout our permission," the London Courier declared in 1811.[3] America,in particular, was considered an uncouth and essentially weak nation.Britain was not particularly concerned about its claimed "rights." Thishurt America's pride and had its part in propelling the nation toward war. [16]Ibid., p. The war came, not for any single reason, but from theinterplay of many."[1 ] Perkins thinks that the nation did not want warand did not embark on any great crusade. Julius Prattcontradicted this position by showing that there was plenty of goodagricultural land still available on the American side of the frontier.Pratt later put forward the thesis that Western Anglo-phobia was stirred upby the threat of Indian warfare thought to be directed by Canadianauthorities. This much appears clear. 28 (1941).Horsman, Reginald. . VII. Perkins isof the opinion that if the Orders in Council had stood alone as agrievance, war could have been avoided. But somehow, the fact that Jackson's backwoodsmen could defeatveterans of the Napoleonic Wars created a new exultation. our character and Constitutions areplaced on a solid basis, never to be shaken."[13] Thus, the war hadbecome a psychological test of the sturdiness of the nation; the war'sconclusion proved to be of value in this area. [6]Julius Pratt, The Expansionists of 1812 (Gloucester, Mass.: PeterSmith Company, 1957), p. All the Federalists - 31 from the Northern and Middle Atlanticstates and 9 from the South - voted against the war. Historian Perkins believes that scholars have overemphasized thetangible, rational reasons for action. 429. National pride, sensitivity andfrustration have been either ignored as causes of the war or given toolittle attention. Justification for a declaration of war was not wanting, and the longterm results were probably beneficial. This idea has also beenrejected as distorting the reality of events. [11]Ibid., pp. A.L. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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