War Of 1812 Dbq

During 1812, there were many things going on with Great Britain and America.. The war of 1812 was a little-known historic event which involved the United States of America and Great Britain. It is important for people to know about the war because the war had many major conflicts that were solved. Many people think that the War of 1812 had a big part in U.S. history and that it was a major event in the world. Although, some people may say that the war was irrelevant. The War of 1812 should get more recognition than it deserves.

In the early 19th century, Britain and France were engaged in a life-or-death struggle. After much war through the years, France dominated a lot of Europe, though Britain was the ruler of the seas. When it became obvious that neither side was likely to win a decisive military contest, the warring nations turned to commercial warfare: Britain tried to blockade all of Europe, and France attempted to prevent the sale of British goods in their possession(http://gatewayno.com/history/War1812.html, War of 1812). During the 1790s, French and British maritime policies produced several crises with the United States, but after 1803 the difficulties became much more serious. In November of 1807, Britain issued a trade regulation called an Order in Council, which compelled all neutral ships to either call at British ports or be subject to a search by British authorities. A month later, Napoleon decreed

In Battles such as Thames and Baltimore, the United States conquered the British and Canadian troops. In the Battles of Chippewa and Horseshoe Bend, the American militia defeated the Swanee and Creek Natives respectively. They were against the Natives because of their alliance with the British forces. The death of Tecumseh was seen as a great achievement to them because it led to the end of battles versus the natives. The Americans, for the most part, were victorious on the water as well. The USS Constitution defeated the British vessel Guerriere on 19 August 1812 and the Java in December of that year. They also took over British ships and Canadian territory in the Battle of Lake Erie and the Battle of Plattsburgh.

The War of 1812 was started by America due to British encroachment on three fronts, trade restrictions imposed by the British, the increasing alliances of the British with Indian tribes blocking American expansion West, and due to British interference with merchant class ships in the Atlantic. The war was fought in the Great Lakes region between America and Canada, near New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico, in the Atlantic trade routes, and around Washington DC. The British had always considered the American insurrection in the 1770s to be a temporary event, their continued battles within the European continent as well as the rest of the British empire had proven to be too distracting to keep a solid check on North America. The British also had not anticipated a war in North America in the lead up to the war of 1812 due to the fragility of the American states, leading to the hubris Britain retained in its relations with the young United States of America.

The war of 1812 was caused by several different reasoning’s. First, Britain was at war with France. However, Britain did not want the United States to provide France with food and supplies. This would lead to Britain setting up a particle blockade. Second, between the years of 1802 and 1803 the British had captured (kidnapped) about 6,000 American sailors forcing them to work on British ships. Third, many of the American settlers believed that the British were stirring up the Native resistance to limit settlement. Finally, members of congress like Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun had started to sire up about the ideal of war. This was based off of their resentment towards British violation of maritime rights and Britain’s encouragement of Native American hostility against American expansion in the West.

In this essay I will be discussing the major events and battles that took place during the War of 1812. It started in 1812 and lasted until the spring of 1815. There were three main causes for the war taking place, America trading with parts of Europe(France), the Impressment, and the possible desire on the part of the United States to annex Canada, The War of 1812 ended as a stalemate in the spring of 1815. The War of 1812 was a war that never should have been fought.

The time period that I am focusing on is the War of 1812. The historical location that I visited was Fort McHenry. Fort McHenry was important to the War of 1812 because it was the key fort to defending Baltimore from the British. The War of 1812 is one of the most obscure conflicts of the United States. The War of 1812 is very popular but little is known about it. The War of 1812 is remembered for the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, the burning of Washington DC, and the Battle of New Orleans. The war is obscure because there was not a great president in power, which is why I chose to do my essay on the War of 1812.

To conclude, the three main causes of the War of 1812 were Expansionism,

President Jefferson, seeing the problems within a war with Britain, enacted the Embargo Act of 1807 instead. The act stated that no supplies would enter or leave the United States. This act failed miserably in weakening the British economy and actually hurt the United States

Before the War of 1812 began, Britain was already fighting Napoleon in Europe. The United States was neutral at the time, and traded with both England, and France. In efforts to break down France’s supply system, Britain started to seize American trade ships headed to the ports of France. In doing so, while they were hurting France, they were also hurting American commerce and economy. In addition, Britain was doing this at the cost of US sailors on the trade ships.

In the beginning of 19th century, France and Great Britain were at war with each other. Great Britain thoroughly restricted the US from providing the French with food and materials; therefore, they fixed a partial barrier. In 1807, the British retained the Orders of Council, which blocked the American trade with France as France was at war with England.

Leading up to the war, the Americans had a multitude of reasons for anger towards the British. The wrong done by England that outraged many U.S. citizens was the British's capturing of America's trading vessels and impressing of American sailors. During England's war against Napoleon, France's current dictator, the English army began to grow smaller in numbers, causing the need for more men, which they supplemented by taking America's seamen. Because Britain and France were also at war at the time, neither country wanted trade to exist between America and the enemy, leading to even more captured

The Americans took a neutral stance in this war and traded with both sides, Great Britain and France. Great Britain and France both tried to stop the trade between the Americans and the other party, however, Great Britain tried to restrict American trade with France by issuing the Orders in Council Act in 1807. This order required companies to get a license before trading with France and French

The U.S made a deal with France; The U.S. would stop trading with Britain if the French would stop taking U.S ships.

During the European conflicts with Napoleon Bonaparte of France, England would become a significant factor in the conflicts at sea due to the extensive Royal Navy. While France’s population was significant, France lacked the financial stability and the maritime vessels to effectively gain control in order to defeat Great Britain. The conflict between England and France was a major catalyst for the eventual War of 1812. In their seafaring battles, both England and France attempted to restrict supplies from reaching the other’s enemy. In this effort, both countries blocked the United States from trading with the other. This is specifically noted as England passed the Orders in Council. An additional sea related conflict involved England and France commandeering American vessels. England, in an act known as impressment, would also remove sailors from captured American vessels and force them to serve with the Royal Navy or face imprisonment. While Jefferson’s failed Embargo Act followed by the Non-Intercourse Act had already significantly impacted sea trade, it was the general belief of the new nation that England was to blame for the hardships encountered due to trade restrictions.