The War of 1812 In 4 Minutes
By: Grant Piper
Tags: American History, War, Short Read, Military, History

The War of 1812 In 4 Minutes

The War of 1812 gave the United States her national anthem, it made Andrew Jackson a war hero and saw the demise of the Federalist Party as a political force. Despite all of that, it is a relatively unknown conflict that shaped the future of the United States for decades to come. While it resides as a footnote of the British’s long and arduous campaigns throughout the 19th century, the impacts of the War of 1812 were far reaching for Americans.

Causes

A painting depicting impressment. (Luke Clennell)

In the years preceding an outbreak in hostilities, England and France were once again locked into a contentious conflict that was threatening to engulf the world. Both sides had large empires that relied heavily on maritime trade and so both England and France began to put ridiculous restrictions on oceangoing commerce. This included the hugely unpopular practice of impressment which forced American merchant sailors to serve the British on the high seas.

Both England and France began to tell their trading partners that if they traded with one, they could not trade with the other in an effort to try and divide the world into two camps. The United States landed squarely in the middle of this conflict and unsuccessfully tried to stay out of it.

At first, the US tried trading with neither side but that only hurt American merchants rather than the large and powerful European empires. Then they courted both sides individually and France seemed to be the country most willing to accommodate the American position.

Once the United States leaned towards France in the ongoing trade war, relations with the British immediately soured. Once a side was chosen, “war hawks” in the US Congress drew up a list of grievances against the British and advocated for war.

Hostilities

The declaration of war was signed on June 18, 1812 and began a three year conflict that bogged the British down. At the time, Napoleon was waging his continental war in Europe and he had succeeded in driving the British to war in North America.

With the bulk of British forces tied down in Europe, the early fighting was scarce and indecisive.

Hoping to strike a decisive blow at the British and knock them out quickly, American forces marched over the border into British Canada but were quickly repulsed. The American army was still not much more than a band of militias and volunteers who had not been properly equipped since the revolution. The invasion of Canada failed leading to a series of stalemates in the north that would last for over a year.

The Americans made no headway overland but was able to score significant victories along the lakes and rivers between New York and present day Michigan leading to greater American control over the waterways.

In 1814, the British were able to disengage more troops from the wars in Europe and send them to end the war in North America. Large amounts of fresh troops began to land in the United States in the summer and began to have instant success. In August of 1814, British forces burned Washington to the ground before turning towards Baltimore for the final blow.

But their advance stalled.

Baltimore’s Fort McHenry was bombarded for over 24 hours by British naval guns but held firm. The victory moved Francis Scott Key to write the “Star Spangled Banner”. Baltimore would remain secure and suddenly the British saw the possibility of being tied down in another overseas war and had no stomach for it. Instead, they began to sue for peace.

In the south, General Andrew Jackson would defeat a large British force outside of New Orleans as the treaty was being shipped from Europe to America cementing his position as a hero of the war which he would use to later run for president.

Impacts

Signing of the Treaty of Ghent (Amédée Forestier)

The Treaty of Ghent officially ended the war and all hostilities ceased in 1815. The United States gained recognition for beating the British twice in the span of fifty years. The trade conflicts that riled American citizens were largely ended. British fueled resistance to American westward expansion was squashed leaving the First Nations tribes without one of their greatest allies to oppose settlers. Napoleon did not come to the American’s aid as he had hinted leaving a sour taste in the mouths of Americans regarding their French counterparts.

The Americans got dragged into a war that originated in Europe causing strong isolationist sentiments to grow. The British and the USA would remain peaceful throughout the rest of their relationship following this war.

While the war itself and its details sit largely by the wayside of American history, the results and impacts originating from it are widely seen and felt, even to this day.