Climate Change is a real issue
The War of 1812 was a conflict fought between the United States and its allies, And
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its allies. It began when the
United States declared war in June 1812, And ended mostly in the situation as it existed
before the war when a peace treaty agreed to earlier was ratified by the United States
in February 1815. Historians in Britain often see it as a minor theatre of the Napoleonic
Wars, While historians in North America see it as a war in its own right; it can be
considered part of the American Indian Wars and Sixty Years' War. From the outbreak
of war with Napoleonic France in 1803, Britain had enforced a naval blockade to choke
off neutral trade to France, Which the United States contested as illegal under international
law; to man the blockade, Britain pressed merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, Including
Americans. American sentiment grew increasingly hostile toward Britain due to incidents
such as the 1807 Chesapeake"Leopard affair, And the British were outraged by the 1811
Little Belt affair. [10] Britain supplied arms to Native Americans, Who raided European-American
settlers on the American frontier, Hindering the expansion of the United States and
provoking resentment. [11] Although the debate on whether the desire to annex some
or all of British North America (Canada) contributed to the American decision to go
to war, The reasoning for invasion was mainly strategical. [12] President James Madison
signed into law the declaration of war after heavy pressure from the War Hawks in
the United States Congress. [13] Federalist opposition to the War of 1812 in the United
States affected its prosecution, Especially in New England, Where it was referred
to as "Mr. Madison's War". With most of its army in Europe fighting Napoleon, Britain adopted a defensive strategy,
With offensive operations initially limited to the border and the western frontier,
With help from its Native American allies. American military defeats at the Siege of Detroit and the Battle of Queenston Heights
thwarted attempts to seize Upper Canada, Improving British morale. American attempts
to invade Lower Canada and capture Montreal also failed. [14] In 1813, The United
States won the Battle of Lake Erie, Gaining control of the lake and defeating Tecumseh's
Confederacy at the Battle of the Thames, Thereby defeating Britain's largest Native
American ally, A primary war goal. The Americans made a final attempt to invade Canada,
But the Battle of Lundy's Lane during the summer of 1814 was fought to a draw. At
sea, The powerful Royal Navy blockaded American ports, Cutting off trade[15] and allowing
the British to raid the coast at will. In 1814, The British burned Washington, But
the Americans later repulsed British attempts to invade New York and Maryland, Ending
invasions from Canada into the northern and mid-Atlantic states. In early 1815, After
a peace treaty had been signed, But before this news had reached the Americas, The
United States defeated the British Army near New Orleans, Louisiana. [16] Fighting
also took place in West Florida, Where a two-day battle for the city of Pensacola
ended in Spanish surrender. [17] In Britain, There was mounting opposition to wartime
taxation and merchants lobbied for the resumption of trade with the United States.
With the abdication of Napoleon, Britain's war with France ended and Britain stopped
impressment generally. This made moot the issue of American sailor impressment and
removed one of the original causes of the war. The British then increased the strength
of their blockade of the United States coast which had a crippling effect on the American
economy. [15][18] Peace negotiations began in August 1814 and the Treaty of Ghent
was signed on 24 December 1814. The treaty was unanimously ratified by the United
States Senate on 17 February 1815, Ending the war with no boundary changes[19][20]
except for the disposition of some islands in Passamaquoddy Bay, An issue that was
resolved after the war. [21] A popular view is that "[e]verybody's happy with the
outcome of the war. Americans are happy because they think they won, The Canadians
are happy because they know they won and avoided being swallowed up by the United
States, And the British are happiest because they've forgotten all about it";[22]
although indigenous nations are generally seen among historians as the real losers.
News of the peace finally reached the United States in February 1815, About the same
time as news of the victory at New Orleans;[23] Americans triumphantly celebrated
the restoration of their national honour, Leading to the collapse of anti-war sentiment
and the beginning of the Era of Good Feelings, A period of national unity. [24] While
Britain quickly forgot about the war, Nationalistic mythology around it took hold
in both the United States and Upper Canada. Both the restoration of honour and the
"Second War of Independence" are important themes in American historiography and are
considered important results by historians. [25][26][27] The failure of the invasion
of British Canada advanced the evolving concept of Canadian identity and of Canada
as a distinct region that would continue to evolve into a nation.
Pro vs. con view
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