Silas Hughes

Mrs. Crum
October 13 - 22, 2023
THE WAR OF 1812

During the war of 1812, the United States took on one of the greatest world powers,

Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country's future.

Thirteen years before this, Napoleon Bonepart seized power after overthrowing the French

revolutionary government. During this time, the United States was negotiating with France to

end the Quasi War. In the year 1802, Napoleon ended twelve years of warfare with Great Britain

after signing the Peace of Amiens, however, only one year later, Britain declared war on France

again. This war would last a decade, and although the United States attempted to remain neutral

during this period, they eventually became entangled in the European conflicts. People may

question whether or not America should have declared war against Great Britain, while some

believe that they should not have, there are many significant reasons why they should have:

Great Britain interfered with America’s trading, the British were busy and engaged in a war

against France, and the United States wanted to expand.

During the war between Great Britain and France, in an attempt to cut off supplies from

reaching the enemy, both countries strived to block the United States from trading with the other.

They were both at an all time low, and needed the opponent to stay that way. However, the

United States, being a young country, sustained their economy through trades with these

countries; they needed to find a way to continue their commerce. The U.S. was placed in an

awkward position, unable to trade with one world power without experiencing the wrath of the

opposing nation. In an attempt to pursue trading, Congress passed a series of acts and embargos,

trying to force the European powers to feel the sting of losing access to American markets.
Europe was largely unmoved, and the United States fell into an economic depression. During this

time, the British were doing several things that enraged Americans. They declined America’s

claim to neutrality in the global war, they stopped American ships at sea, and imprisoned their

sailors, forcing them to join the Royal Navy, and armed Native American tribes.

James Madison was elected to the presidency in 1808 and he instructed Congress to

prepare for war against Great Britain. In June of 1812, the United States officially declared war

for the first time in the nation’s history. Ironically, the British Parliament was planning to revoke

its trade restrictions when they received the declaration, yet war began anyways. The British,

now in a battle between two countries, had its army spread across multiple fronts. The poorly

trained U.S. army, only having 6,700 men, now went head-to-head against Great Britain’s

240,000 soldiers. Although America’s fleet was large, the British fleet was much greater. To

America’s relief, most of Great Britain’s army was deployed in France, and was not in a position

to fight against the U.S.

In the fall of 1811, a governor from Indiana led United States troops to victory in the

Battle of Tippecanoe in hopes to expand their nation. The defeat convinced many Indians from

the Northwest Territory that they needed British support to prevent America from pushing them

further out of their lands. In order to strike at the British, the U.S. immediately began to attack

Canada, which was then a colony under Great Britain. American officials were very optimistic

about the invasion’s success, however, things began to look better for the United States, as the

Battle of Lake Erie, in 1813, placed the Northwest Territory under American control. The U.S.

navy had also been able to gain several victories against the Royal Navy, thanks to the war the

British were busy with. Nevertheless, Great Britain defeated Napoleon’s armies in 1813, which

turned their entire attention towards the war against the United States. Surprisingly, during the
Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814, the American navy defeated the British fleet. Two days later,

Baltimore’s Fort McHenry resisted twenty-five hours of an attack from the British. During the

battle, the soldiers famously placed the American flag upon the top of the fort, which led to the

writing of the Star Spangled Banner. Baltimore withstood the attack, and beat the British. The

United States gave up its demands to end imprisonment, while Great Britain promised to leave

Canada’s borders unchanged, and abandon efforts to create an Indian state in the Northwest. At

the end of 1814, commissioners signed the Treaty of Ghent between America and Great Britain.

Yet one month later, unaware that peace had been made, the British forces made a major attack in

the Battle of New Orleans, only to be met with defeat at the hands of the newly inaugurated

president, Andrew Jackson, and his army.

Some still believe that the U.S. should not have declared war against the British. They

argue that America was still too young of a country, and that neither governments wanted to

fight. Although the U.S. was a new nation, they managed to stand their ground, fight against

some of the largest fleets and armies in the world, and win. Even though neither governments

wanted to wage war, that was how things had to be finished, and that was how things had ended.

America would not have strived so well after the war if they hadn’t declared war. So many great

American leaders came from the aftermath of the war of 1812.

In conclusion, America should have declared war against Great Britain in 1812 because

Great Britain interfered with America’s trading, the British were busy and engaged in a war

against France, and the United States wanted to expand. Even though the United States was new

and small, they won the war, and gained many strong leaders because of this declaration.
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