War On Great Britain example essay topic
398 words
America rightfully declared war on Great Britain. The United States declared War on Great Britain on June 12, 1812. The war was declared as a result of long simmering disputes with Great Britian. The central dispute surrounded the impressment of American soldiers by the British. The British had previously attacked the USS Chesapeake and nearly caused a war two year earlier. In addition, disputes continued with Great Britain over the Northwest Territories and the border with Canada. Finally, the attempts of Great Britain to impose a blockade on France during the Napoleonic Wars was a constant source of conflict with the United States. These incidents gave the United States reason to wage a war with the former Mother Country Great Britain. At the start America was woefully unprepared for conflict. There was lack of unanimity over the causes, organization was poor, and militia forces-a necessary adjunct fo the regulars-displayed a general unwillingness to go beyond their own state borders to fight. Few strong leaders remained from the Revolutionary generation, and early encounters with the British, though they were still distracted by Napoleon, were disastrous. Nevertheless, American sailors were very capable, and American soldiers, when well led, were prepared to fight.
However poorly the Americans fought the war, they did indeed fight it, growing stronger as the war progressed and achieved at worst a stalemate. New leaders emerged such as Andrew Jackson, Oliver Hazard Perry, Thomas Mcdonough and Winfield Scott. Finally, no matter how sharply Americans were divided over the war early in 1812, the end of the war brought the "Era of Good Feelings", which though perhaps misnamed nevertheless showed that America had come through the war essentially intact. Even though the War of 1812 ended in a status quo good things did come out of this for the United States. The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814 The war raised America's reputation in Europe. As for the Native American's, they were urged to accept peace.
The American people seemed more united then ever despite the fact that there were no clear winners. This was a war that nobody won. However, America stood up, fought and held her own. However, most importantly the War of 1812 ended the struggle of America for their independence.
