The War of 1812 was considered a “second war for independence” from Britain – the first one being the Revolutionary War. Britain had, once again, strained foreign relations with the United States by ordering the impressment of American sailors and seizing cargo ships; even though George Washington had declared neutrality. However, due to a lack in communication, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were unaware that Britain had began to respect their maritime neutrality and it subsequently resulted in the two men ordering the declaration for the War of 1812. As a result of the declaration, the country was torn in half – one half; the Westerners and Southerners, were pro-war while the other half; the New Englanders, were firmly against the war.
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The end of the war ushered in a new era of nationalism and allowed America to progress industrially.
Before the War of 1812 had officially begun there was animosity that had forced the country to take opposing sides. Jeffersonian Republicans believed heavily in the war efforts. They considered England’s repeated disregard to their maritime laws as an insult to the nation’s honor. Southerners wished to go to war because the trade embargoes set in place hurt the southern agricultural system that had been set in place. The Warhawks, a group of aggressive western and southern republican men, fed into the hysteria that Britain was conspiring with Native Americans. They spread the notion that Britain was aiding the Natives in their resistance movement to the American expansion westward (“Political Life in a New Nation” 1). However, while the anger towards Britain grew exponentially, the resentment was also directed towards the Federalist party. New England Federalists were firmly against the idea of war, overlooking England’s grievances. New England had a trading oriented economy that was highly dependent on its trade route connections with the mother country. Trade constraints placed by Madison, like the Nonintercourse Act of …show more content…
The market economy progressively became more capitalist, which hastened political and social change (Purcell 1). Britain re-opened their trade routes and flooded the U.S markets with goods that spurred agricultural production. Cotton and wheat both became exceedingly important crops as trading penetrated the southern most parts of the country – since the vast majority of Americans still lived on farms (Purcell 3). The pace of life was expedited as American cities grew larger and busier along with ports like: Charleston, New York and
The end of the war ushered in a new era of nationalism and allowed America to progress industrially.
Before the War of 1812 had officially begun there was animosity that had forced the country to take opposing sides. Jeffersonian Republicans believed heavily in the war efforts. They considered England’s repeated disregard to their maritime laws as an insult to the nation’s honor. Southerners wished to go to war because the trade embargoes set in place hurt the southern agricultural system that had been set in place. The Warhawks, a group of aggressive western and southern republican men, fed into the hysteria that Britain was conspiring with Native Americans. They spread the notion that Britain was aiding the Natives in their resistance movement to the American expansion westward (“Political Life in a New Nation” 1). However, while the anger towards Britain grew exponentially, the resentment was also directed towards the Federalist party. New England Federalists were firmly against the idea of war, overlooking England’s grievances. New England had a trading oriented economy that was highly dependent on its trade route connections with the mother country. Trade constraints placed by Madison, like the Nonintercourse Act of …show more content…
The market economy progressively became more capitalist, which hastened political and social change (Purcell 1). Britain re-opened their trade routes and flooded the U.S markets with goods that spurred agricultural production. Cotton and wheat both became exceedingly important crops as trading penetrated the southern most parts of the country – since the vast majority of Americans still lived on farms (Purcell 3). The pace of life was expedited as American cities grew larger and busier along with ports like: Charleston, New York and