Causes and Outcomes of War Term Paper

Furthermore, while it established Canada as an independent
nation, it also established America. As a war over its previous colonizer,
America can be said to have won a second war of independence. This is
further reflected in considering President Madison's war message to
Congress. Madison appeals to the "honor" of his country, as if Britain has
violated it and it is America's responsibility to retain it (Madison,
1812). Although the war was fought primarily for economic reasons, the
"honor" Madison is referring to was regained during the war as Great
Britain was unable to dominate the United States. In fact, the United
States did more than a good job of fighting the British. Thus, it appears
that the war was fought somewhat over honor, and the United States
maintained their honor in the war. This means that the United States
established itself, and its pride, in the war, and this can be considered
an outcome of the war.
The war of 1812 had numerous causes, the most important that were
economic in nature. The United States, in order to maintain its economic
vitality, was forced to go to war, especially after the failed attempts to
avoid war through the embargo. The expansionist reasons for the war were
more of consequence to engage in war with Britain. Great Britain, because
of its war with Napoleon in Europe, looked to interrupt economic
interaction between the United States and continental Europe. The way
Great Britain went about this policy, by capturing American's, boarding
their ships, and taking vessels close to American shores means that there
was a definite lack of respect for the power, clout, and sovereignty of
their former colony and the new nation, the United States. Furthermore,
the United States was establishing itself as a commercial and naval power,
and this would be reinforced through the war. To Great Britain this was
unacceptable, and to America, for Great Britain to interfere so severely
with America's economic interests was a problem. Attempts to resolve the
conflict peacefully ended in failure as with the embargo, and thus set the
stage for the War of 1812. The outcome of the war was an actual stalemate,
however I believe it was a success for the United States. As a new nation,
the United States established their "honor" and their power against a major
European naval power. While there would be no northbound expansion, this
was of little consequence to the more pressing issues of America's economic
interests and economic sovereignty. Ultimately, by stopping the British
objectives, America satisfied their own as a sovereign nation.

References

Feldmeth, Greg D. (31 March 1998). U.S. History Resources. Retrieved 3
March 2007 from
http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/USHistory.html.

Harney, Major W. (1989). The Causes of the War of 1812. Retrieved 4 March
2007 from
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1989/HWW.htm.

Hickey, Donald. (1989). The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict. Champaign,
University of…