War Of 1812 Outline Essay

War of 1812

James Madison is considered to be the "Father of the Constitution," but it was the War of 1812 that defined his presidency.
In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have a great impact on the young country’s future. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s capture of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory. The United States suffered many costly defeats from the British, Canadian and Native American troops over the course of the War of 1812. One of these being the capture and burning of the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., in August 1814. Nonetheless, American troops were able to

troops to victory in the Battle of Tippecanoe. The defeat convinced many Indians in the Northwest Territory (including the celebrated Shawnee chief Tecumseh) that they needed British support to prevent American settlers from pushing them further out of their lands. By late 1811 the so-called “War Hawks” in Congress were putting more and more pressure on Madison, and on June 18, 1812, the president signed a declaration of war against Britain. Though Congress voted for war, both House and Senate were bitterly divided on the issue. Most Western and Southern congressmen supported war, while Federalists accused war advocates of using the excuse of maritime rights to promote their growing

The war had an impact in the United States, as the Treaty of Ghent ended decades of bitter partisan infighting in government and ushered in the so-called “Era of Good Feelings.” The war also marked the demise of the Federalist Party, which had been accused of being unpatriotic for its antiwar stance, and reinforced a tradition of Anglophobia that had begun during the Revolutionary War. Perhaps most importantly, the war’s outcome boosted national self-confidence and encouraged the growing spirit of American expansionism that would shape the better part of the 19th