Discuss the War of 1812. Begin with a short background of the conflict Essay

Discuss the War of 1812. Begin with a short background of the conflict and the reasons for a U.S. declaration of war. How did the war change America Disuss at least three major long term results of the War - Essay Example The war of 1812 was a war that was fought chiefly between the government of the United States of America and the British empire (Chiefly British North America/Canada). Without question there had been a strongly strained relationship between the United States and the British Empire since the conclusion of the war of independence. The war was fought both the land and sea, and there were a number of different agents involved such as the Americans, United Empire Loyalists, Quà ©bà ©cois, The British, Upper & Lower Canadians, American Indians etc. After the British had defeated Napoleon on the European more resources were freed up for the war effort and as such a more aggressive strategy was employed. Although neither side lost any major territory in the war the war was concluded with a number of treaties (Such as the Rush-Bagot Treaty) which helped lead to the un-militarized great lakes and helped lead to an un-militarized borderbetween Canada and the United states that remains to this day. As with any historical event such as a war it is often the case that the issues surrounding it are not cut and dry. In the case of the war of 1812 the reasoning behind the declaration of war was not as simple as one would think. According to Horseman (1962) it was the case that the British engaged in a naval conflict with the United States that saw the commandeering of American vessels and seizing sailors on the grounds that they were deserters from British naval forces and as such were co-opted into British Service. Moreover, Strong trade restrictions were placed by the British on the United States and France (Which hurt American commercial interests) and lastly many American Indians were being supported by the British to impede American expansion into the West (Of the American Continent). Ultimately these grievances helped push James Madison to give a long speech to the U.S. Congress regarding American interests and