Ocean As A Means Of Transport Dbq

Imagine that you are a sailor, after the United States claimed the right to use to ocean as a mean of transportation of goods. You are sailing across the sea in a ship full of goods and products of your own countries land, unaware of Great Britain's anger and defiance of this certain right that the US claimed. You sail across the ocean and finally after a long journey, you reach your final destination. After unloading the products, you are about to set sail back for your homeland when Great Britain captures your vessel. They take you away and enslave you,coercing you to work for them instead. You can’t help the questions that run endlessly through your tired mind. Why? Why does it always have to be like this? Britain trying to gain control …show more content…
It was stated by President Madison in his Declaration of War, that “We behold our seafaring citizens still the daily victims of lawless violence… We behold our vessels… wrested from their lawful destinations… in to British ports.” (Doc.4) It is known that to infringe a right is unlawful. As was stated in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self - evident, that all men are created equal.” It clearly states that all men are created equal, meaning that you can not treat one man with less respect than the other. The British captured the seamen and enslaved them, utalizing violence against them which is doing precisely the opposite of what is stated in the …show more content…
It is shown in the House of Representatives vote for war on June 4th, 1812 that areas such as New England, Agricultural Mid-Atlantic States, Southern States and the Western Frontier were more supportive of a war than the Maritime and Commercial Mid-Atlantic States, who were most affected by the violation of maritime rights. The areas closer to the shore such as New England and the Maritime and Commercial Mid-Atlantic States, which were more affected by the inability to use the ocean as a mean of transportation, had more votes for no war than supporting a war. The other Areas such as Agricultural Mid-Atlantic States, the South, and the Western Frontier had more votes in favor of a war than not. (Doc. 5) The fact that the Maritime and Commercial Mid-Atlantic States seemed not to be bothered by their inability to use the ocean for transportation, means that they were not angered and therefore the violation of the maritime rights were not a force that led to the declaration of war on Britain. Although this is a strong argument to make, the data simply cannot prove that they were angered in the slightest by the actions taken by Britain. It