The War of 1812

200 years ago today, President James Madison officially signed a declaration of war against Britain. This war would become known as the War of 1812 even though it lasted two years. This isn't one of the World's greatest known wars and most in America only remember the name but it was an important war of the time. Following the American Revolutionary war, France had its own revolution that ended the monarchy and allowed for the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Britain entered the French Revolution in an attempt to stop and eliminate the Revolution.  Both sides then tried to restrict trade to the other from the new United States of America who was struggling to be seen as their own country instead of former colonies. Britain went a step further and began to forcibly remove American seamen and forced them to serve in the British Navy.



The War of 1812 was not popular in New England due to its reliance on trade but both the West and the South supported the war. The most well known incident of the war in The U.S. is the burning of Washington D.C. As the British invaded, the city was abandoned and evacuated. The Americans burned the Navy Yard to prevent it from falling into British hands. President Madison left D.C. only hours before they invaded and his wife, Dolly Madison, refused to leave the White House without the White House possessions such as silverware, books, clocks, and curtains being saved. The most important artifact saved is of course the Gilbert Stuart painting of the late first president George Washington. You can only imagine the frustrations the staff and her husband probably had in trying to get this headstrong lady to leave. This painting still survives today. Also, the battle at Fort McHenry inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner" which of course became our National Anthem.

The results of the war wasn't felt until after actually peace had been declared . In 1815, the British, not knowing about the peace, attacked New Orleans. They were soundly defeated by Andrew Jackson. The victory boosted U.S. morale even though the war had achieved none of its pre-war objectives. In the end, the war of 1812 was important in solidifying the United States as its own country and establishing trade with Britain and France. It also resulted in the demise of the old Federalist party and ended partisan infighting in the government (albeit obviously temporarily). The best result was the promotion of expansion which would dictate the United States' path for much of the next century.

For more information regarding the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and more information in general about the war, visit http://www.ourflagwasstillthere.org/.

Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/war-of-1812
Picture courtesy of the Library of Congress http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug19.html