War Of812 2 Essay, Research Paper

War of 1812

armed conflict between the U.S. and Great Britain, 1812-15. It was partly occasioned by U.S. insistence on neutral shipping rights during the Franco-British hostilities of the FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY WARS and the wars of NAPOLEON I. British impressment of sailors and confiscation of U.S. ships were causes of strong anti-British sentiment. The outbreak of hostilities stemmed from clashes in the West between American frontiersmen and the British and their indigenous allies over American encroachment onto land claimed by the British. The battle of Tippecanoe (Nov. 7, 1811) was an outstanding example. The war hawks in the U.S. Congress prevailed, and war was declared on June 18, 1812. The early land confrontations-at Detroit, on the Niagara R., and in Queenston Heights-proved how ill-prepared the U.S. forces were. The small American navy fared better; the early victories of Isaac Hull, commanding the Constitution, and Stephen DECATUR were notable. In 1813, however, British naval superiority prevailed until the victory of Capt. Oliver Perry (see under PERRY, MATTHEW) on Lake Erie in September. The low point of the war for the U.S. was the British capture of Washington, D.C., in Aug. 1814. But the Americans were successful at the battle of the Thames, Plattsburgh, and FORT MCHENRY, and the British entered into serious negotiations to end the hostilities. The Treaty of GHENT (signed Dec. 24, 1814) brought the war to an indecisive end. But the Americans had a final triumph. On Jan. 14, 1815, after the treaty had been signed, Andrew JACKSON’s troops defeated the British decisively at the battle of NEW ORLEANS. The war ushered in a period of great American nationalism and increasing isolation from European affairs.