The War of 1912
In a 2-3-page paper, analyze the circumstances surrounding the War of 1812. Discuss whether it is true (as has been alleged) that the war itself was an attempt to take advantage of the British when they were involved with the French in Europe. Is this an accurate assessment of the war? Support your conclusions using facts and evidence. Then discuss whether or not using this manoeuvre against the British would have been wrong in the context of the events happening at that time. Remember to use supporting citations from the textbook and online lectures.
The War of 1912, declared by American leaders on F=Great Britain was viewed as a war in which the United States was fighting for its independence. America believed that it would conquer Canada as Britain was too busy in Europe to stop them. In my opinion, America indeed decided to take on Canada to use the advantage of the fact that Britain was working with France in Europe. Whereas this is true, the war was also a proof of power, whereby America wanted to prove to Britain that it had strong forces and that it had powerful allies that would have the country’s back in case anything went wrong. True to their word, America instigated the war in the hope that they would trust France’s Napoleon to come to the country’s rescue (Lecture Notes, 2020). It was also alleged that the British in Canada encouraged native Indians to raid their settlement, thus making life much harder for them.
At the time of the war, Britain was in a prolonged battle with France, which was kicked off by the French Revolution. In British’s eyes, therefore, the war was unwelcome as it was a diversion from the Napoleonic Wars which were happening in Europe during the time. I think the move to declare war on an already fighting nation was wrong since it would not allow America to prove their power. According to the United States Foreign Policy, it was an equivalent of “hitting a man when he is down.” Britain was vulnerable, given that all their efforts were concentrated in another war back at home. Therefore, Britain was right and justified in responding the way it did to calm the situation. The reasons for attacking the country notwithstanding, there was no need for America to instigate a war when they knew too well that they were reliant on other countries to win.
The question as to whether the war of 1812 was legitimate is one which has proved difficult over the years. According to Peace, the war was unnecessary and was not justifiable, given the fact that Britain had signed a peace treaty when America attained its independence (Peace, 2016). America used the war to pursue its national economic and political goals and not really as a self-defence mechanism like they like to put it. It was a war of choice whose economic warfare was aimed at France and not Great Britain. This is so because France had attempted to discourage America from participating in the war. In all ways, the war was wrong in the context of the events happening in Europe at eh time. Despite the existing trade sanction against America, hitting a country that was already at war was an act of agitation. The war could, therefore, by all means, possible have been avoided since America ran into problems trying to justify the reasons why it instigated a battle with a country that was already down. Instead, the state should have initiated peace initiatives given the fact the country was not in any imminent danger and that there were no demands on the land that indicated imminent danger.