The War of 1812

The three year war between the United States of America and Great Britain was also called the Second War of Independence as it was fought with much fervor both on land and sea. The causes attributed to this war are as follows

• Failure of Britain to withdraw their army even after the war from the area along the lake area.
• Though America became a neutral country, it had difficulty to trade with Europe as both Britain and France dominated the sea and land and demanded exclusive rights.
• Restriction on America to trade with France as is was a foe of Britain.
• The American Indians were supported by Britain with weapons in order to stop the American expansion in the west.
• The intention of Britain to create a neutral Indian state was disliked by the Americans and did not accept it even after winning the war.
• All these restrictions affected the national honor of America

Course of the war

America was waiting to change in the economic situation and this came when the American ship Leopard was fired at the American frigate. Immediately, the Congress passed the Embargo Act that banned Britain from trading with America .This in turn had no effect on the trading policies of great Britain and France .With the inclusion of a new group of people called War HAWKS, war with Great Britain became inevitable with the orders from President James Madison. Though America was unsuccessful in capturing Canada,it did see success in the west where American took control of the Detroit frontier region with the destruction of the British fleet on Lake Erie on September 10, 1813.This boosted the morale of the Americans and the war continued with the same fervor. After the defeat of Napoleon, Britain turned its attention on America and by 1814, British won victory in the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24.She then marched into Washington, D.C. without much resistance and destroyed public places. However, at Baltimore, the troops faced stiff resistance and with the victory of the naval battle of Lake Champlain (Plattsburg Bay), the British troops had to retreat. Though the Treaty of Ghent ended the war, it did not resolve the issues between the two countries. The lands that were captured during the war were returned and the boundary between Canada and America was reinstated. The Great Lake Regions were demilitarized and the Oregon region came under the joint rule of Britain and America.