Road to War, Part 1: The Causes of the War of 1812
The War of 1812 has been called the “second American Revolution,” but the facts do not fully support that assertion. It is true that in both cases America’s enemy was Great Britain and the main catalyst that took us to war was American anger resulting from British transgressions, but the road to this second fight between these two countries was largely an unintended consequence of the almost continuous war that raged from 1793 to 1815 between England and France.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores the causes of the War of 1812, and why it still matters today.
Images courtesy of the Library of Congress, Yale University Art Gallery, Naval History and Heritage Command, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, United States Senate, Encyclopedia Virginia, Wikimedia.
Many people have called the War of 1812 the “second American Revolution,” and while that phrase has some merit, the facts do not fully support the assertion. It is true that in both cases America’s enemy was Great Britain and the main catalyst that took us to war was American animosity resulting from perceived British wrongs, but the similarities essentially end there.