![]() ![]() For one thing, there was growth in every respect, economic and geographical. At the end of the eighteenth century, the transformation of the society in “social perception, political judgement, economic endeavor, and private sensibility“ (Watts, 149) was fundamental and perhaps even more demanding than the fight for independence. ![]() War in general is always not only a question of policy and power but also of the present state of the population, one may call it „zeitgeist“ or circumscribe it as the people`s social and cultural situation. The war was fought for the sake of the nation. However, the motives for the War of 1812 are on a second look no longer based on domestic, political or commercial problems or due to expansionism, but reveal an underlying ideological crisis. I aim to show that factors like the social, political and commercial situation and the geographical expansion were all playing together and sometimes connected with each other. The reasons for America`s decision have been debated by many historians, one stressing other motives than the other. “In the end, unable to sustain peace, the United States chose war – a war, some have suggested, that ranks as the second war for independence.“ (128)Īttention shall be given less to the outcome or the consequences of that war, but to the forces and motives that drove America to war. There-upon President Thomas Jefferson and from 1809 onwards James Madison initiated restrictive measures themselves, but the rivalries were only to become stronger. On top of it, the British boarded American ships to seize sailors who had allegedly deserted from the Royal Navy. In 1806, France, and one year later Britain trampled on neutral rights by forcing other nations to cease trading with their enemy. ![]() When Europe exploded in war in 1803, the United States became involved in European affairs once more. „Commerce, character, a nation`s best treasure, honor!“ – why the United States went to war in 1812 ![]()
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