The War of 1812 (College Board AP® US History)

Causes of The War of 1812

• For the first time in U.S. history, in 1812 the nation declared war

• It is often referred to as the ‘Second War of Independence’

• The United States fought Great Britain to:

  • determine its autonomy

  • protect its citizens from impressment 

  • defend its western border

• There were several causes of the war

Trade

• Great Britain and France were at war with one another

• Each nation tried to prevent the United States from trading with the other 

• The Embargo Act of 1807 made exports from American ports illegal and restricted most imports from Britain

  • This was very unpopular because it harmed American trading interests more than British or French trading interests

• Macon’s Bill Number 2, passed in 1810

  • It stated that if either France or Britain created more favorable trading conditions for the United States, America would then stop trading with the other nation

  • France said it would end its restrictions, but Great Britain claimed France kept its restrictions in place

  • The United States stopped trading with Britain, and the two nations moved closer to war

British Alliance with Indigenous Peoples

• Shawnee leader Tecumseh supported British forces as a way to stop American settlers from moving into Indigenous lands

• The British created ties with Indigenous peoples to increase their forces for a coming war

Impressment

• Impressment was the forcing of men into service on Royal Navy ships

  • British ships stopped American merchant ships and boarded them

  • Britain claimed its officers were looking for sailors who had deserted from the British navy

  • Britain’s actions took U.S. citizens off ships and forced thousands of them to serve in the British navy

• In 1807, the British ship H.M.S. Leopard fired upon the U.S Navy ship Chesapeake, and impressed four sailors

  • Three of the sailors were U.S. citizens

  • Great Britain later apologized, but war almost happened at that time

The end of the Federalist Party

• One of the consequences of the War of 1812 was the end of the Federalist Party

• From mid-December 1814 to early January 1815, Federalists from the New England states who opposed the War of 1812 held the Hartford Convention

  • This was a series of meetings, where attendees discussed their concerns about the economic impact of the War of 1812

  • There was anger at how the war was affecting commerce, so they met to discuss moderate solutions to fix the issue

  • Attendees were also concerned about the increasing power of the federal government

    • They put forward suggestions to limit the presidents' term

• People in other parts of the country thought the Federalists were disloyal and unpatriotic

  • The actions of the Federalists at the convention would start the decline of the political party. 

• The United States signed the Treaty of Ghent to end the War of 1812

  • Britain gave the United States all of its territory in the Northwest

  • Planned commissions would later decide the border between the United States and Canada

  • The Great Lakes region opened up to American expansion

• A sense of nationalism and confidence swept over the nation 

• Many Americans now viewed the Federalists as weak

  • They did not trust the institutions of commerce, banking, and government that Federalists supported