Why Did Congress Win The War Of 1812

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On July 17, 1812, James Madison chose to abandon isolationism. Doing so, Congress declared war on Great Britain. This undertaking was going to be hard to accomplish because the nation’s army only had 7,000 poorly trained men and a navy with only 16 ships. Congress saw this war as necessary, but surely they wouldn’t win. They believed this war was going to solve their conflicts with Great Britain, and maybe even lead to a peace treaty. But they were in for a surprise. When the War Hawks heard of the war they were overjoyed. They thought that defeating Great Britain and conquering Canada was “a mere matter of marching”, unfortunately they were wrong. In 1812, 1813, and in 1814 U.S. forces crossed into Canada, but British forces turned them back every time. In September of 1813, U.S naval forces captured a fleet of six British naval ships. Americans saw their advantage and pushed upward into Canada. But in December, they were pushed back across the border. In 1814, Napoleon was killed in Europe. Great Britain was then able to send 15,000 troops to Canada. Having this many troops outnumber the Americans,…show more content…
The treaty signed in Belgium didn’t really settle any conflicts. Impressment and ship seizures only started to fade away because peace started to settle in Europe. On the other hand, the war did have three major effects. First, Indian resistance in the Northwest Territory weakened after Tecumseh’s death. Over time, most of the American Indians who fought with him would be driven out of the Ohio Valley. Second, nation pride in the U.S. became stronger. Americans called it a “second war of independence.” They felt that by standing up to the British, it made the United States a braver nation. Third, the war had some political effects. The Federalist Party was badly damaged and never recovered. Two of the wars heroes, William Henry Harrison and Andrew Jackson, were later elected

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