The Impact Of War Of 1812 And Westward Expansion

The War of 1812 is commonly deemed as the “Second War of Independence” But why? There was no definite outcome, and what sparked the conflict was not resolved after the war concluded. With this, it has been “lost in time” per se, not getting credit where it's due, like an older sibling that “swears” they did the dishwasher and not you. This entails that although The War of 1812 was seen as a minor conflict, the everlasting effects led to an uprise of a new, individualistic, United States.

The United States bettered itself with The War of 1812 by marking down their independence; even with one of the most prominent nations at the time, Britain. They stopped trade in 1807 and 1809 with Britain using the Embargo and Non-Intercourse acts respectively. These acts were ineffective, yes, but it led to the U.S getting products elsewhere, distancing themselves from Britain (“War of 1812“ Gale In Context: U.S History) One of the products they started manufacturing was guns. The beginning of a domestic armaments industry begins here. Eli Whitney developed a way of manufacturing guns in which all parts were modular and interchangeable. Infact, this “American System” of manufacture spread to other industries around the world. (Greenblatt, Bowman 160 & 161)

Impressment on American sailors was one of the biggies that led to the War of 1812. The act of taking their sailors with these search and seizure operations led to major distaste between the two nations. The current president James Madison and his secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson tried to negotiate with Britain about said operations, but to no avail. If they didn’t listen to them, they wouldn’t listen to anyone. The situation worsened in 1806 when a British frigate killed a Yankee sailor in American waters. (Greenblatt, Bowman 25) And again in 1807 when the British vessel HMS Leopard fired on the American warship USS Chesapeake, killing three and injuring eighteen. Deriving from this would be a further distance between each other, eventually sparking The War of 1812.

The War Hawks were a group of newly elected representatives in congress that were advocating for war with Britain, namely Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. Their reasoning to push for war was because of British violation of maritime rights, and Britain’s encouragement of Native American hostility against Americans’ westward expansion. (“War of 1812” History.com Editors) The War Hawks also supported war with Britain because they were from the south and didn’t need to trade with Britain, as well as they wanted to expand westward for greater farming.

Madison declared war, the federalists, who were against this conflict, coined the name “Mr. Madison's War” They caused much of the rancor within American politics. The War Hawks were happy as they were young republicans that wanted America to further expand and rise in power. However, they gravely underestimated their fighting force and this led to war that would be 2 years longer than the War Hawks claimed. The countries, now in conflict again, will fight; The Americans are anything but reluctant to war.

The War of 1812 led to a great surge of Nationalism within the United States; both during and after the war. One example would be Constitution vs Guerriere on August 12th, 1812. The U.S Navy at the time couldn’t hold a candle to the British Navy, so it came as a great surprise when the Constitution took down Guerriere, whose sides are famously known as “being made of iron.” This American victory majorly boosted the spirit of the country, and as a result the New England states now started to rally for war. (Schultz 28 & 29)

Uncle Sam, yes, him, is also known to come from the War of 1812. The American icon was born in 1813 to refer to the U.S government. U.S was stamped on various shipments to the army during this time. (Flatt 19) This led to a newfound identity, as their icon is posted everywhere. After the War it only got more widespread, and it has become one of the most important symbols in American culture today.

The song of the people, the song of our freedom, the National Anthem is linked back to the War of 1812 when Francis Scott Key was witnessing the British’s 25 hours of bombardment on Fort McHenry, when he saw the flag still hoisted tall in the air after the smoke cleared he was inspired to write the poem “The Star-Spangled Banner.” This poem would later be adopted to what you now know as the National Anthem. (“The War of 1812” History.com Editors)

The Battle of New Orleans was the most important battle for establishing Americans’ sense of pride. Andrew Jackson, unknowing that the Treaty of Ghent has been signed, led an army to defeat the British at New Orleans. This battle was the last of the war, and immediately raised any morale that has been sagging as the treaty didn’t resolve any of America’s pre-war objectives. (“War of 1812” History.com Editors) The Americans have convinced themselves that they have won the contest, and that was all they needed to start pursuing their national goals. (“War of 1812” Encyclopædia Britannica) This battle would also majorly help Andrew Jackson’s presidential campaign as he was seen as an American hero.

Following the War’s conclusion, came a half a century known as the “Era of Good fflaFeelings” This era included the fall of the federalist party, which as previously mentioned, caused much of the rancor within American politics. Also having world peace being made came an economic revival in the United States. American morale was at a high point as twice in thirty years, they have fought their former “master” to victory, this was the second time they have won their independence. (“A Brief Overview of The War of 1812” Trust)

The westward expansion of the United States could not be said to be right in a sense of respect or morals, but this does not take away the fact that it majorly impacted the United States to become a more independent nation. The Americans believed that their expansion westward was inevitable and justified. This westward expansion of the United States was called the “Manifest Destiny” (Flatt 19) and made the American people much more independent as they were destined by god to reign over the land.

The Louisiana purchase was the first major part of the expansion westward as they nearly doubled their land size with this one purchase. 1.7 million square miles all for just $15 million dollars. That's nearly 3 cents an acre. (Greenblatt & Bowman 28) That's not only one of the greatest milestones in westward expansion, it's one of the greatest purchases the U.S has ever made. Their boundary, which used to be the Mississippi River, has been expanded all the way to the Rocky Mountains.

During the War, Tecumseh, who was the chief of the Shawnee, was the main person who sought to prevent American’s expansion into their land. He formed several alliances with other tribes in the area, and formed an alliance with the British. (“War of 1812“ Gale In Context: U.S History) However, despite his efforts, he was killed in the Battle of Thames. This was a massive blow to the Native Americans, and after the war was over, the Native American alliance with Britain is history. Without British money and weapons, they weren’t capable of defending their land and attacking the U.S settlers back.