Why Did the War of 1812 Start?
Written by Tim Nash
American Wars - War of 1812
There were actually several reasons why the war of 1812 started. The official reason as made clear in the declaration of war by the United States of America to Great Britain was the Impression Issue that was made by the British Government under their Orders-in-Council. This Impression Issue is an act whereby men are forced by the government for induction into military service.
Great Britain during those days was already fighting in another front, against Napoleon Bonaparte of France. Great Britain was fighting alongside Spain and Portugal against the Army of Bonaparte who were trying to control the Iberian Peninsula which is composed of Spain and Portugal. Although Great Britain has the biggest navy in the world at that time, the pay and living conditions of their sailors were harsh compared to sailors working on vessels of other countries.
This obtaining condition made many British navy men and sailors to desert their ship and work on American ships where pay was good and their living condition were much better than their navy ships, These desertions swelled in numbers that soon, the British navy realized an acute shortage of manpower for their ships. With this condition, Great Britain promulgated the Orders-in-Council that effectively authorized the British Royal navy to stop and search ships of other countries even in high seas, to search for British sailors who have deserted their ships and to forcibly make them again work for the British navy.
Because nearly all of British navy deserters were working on American merchant ships, since the Americans do not still have their own navy, these merchant ships were targeted by the British navy for searches in the high seas and to forcibly took able bodied seamen whom they suspected as deserters. These very high handed practice of the British navy was seen as another reason why the war of 1812 started, because it irked many war “hawks” in the American congress to agitate for war against Great Britain.
Aside from this insulting practice being made by the British navy to the merchant fleet of America, the Americans got even angrier when the British naval fleet blockaded American vessels and embargoed their shipments intended for France which would add fuel as to why the war of 1812 started. This British move was in the context of their on-going war with the forces of Bonaparte in the Iberian Peninsula. With these reasons, the war “hawks” of the American congress were soon able to convince the American congress to declare war against Great Britain with the Impression Issue as the reason for going to war.
Another reason why the war of 1812 started and which many believed was the real motivation of the war “hawks” of the US congress to go to war with great Britain was their need to totally expel Great Britain from the remaining land still under British domain on the North American Peninsula. They wanted to totally erase the remaining bastion of their mother country and attach these lands as new states of America.
Although this reason in declaring war with Great Britain was not the official reason as to why the war of 1812 started, it can be discerned as to what the result of the two year war was able to achieve. In fact, the Peace Treaty signed by America and great Britain in Europe in December of 1812 did not even bother to mention the official reason as to why the war of 1812 even started which was the Impression Issue...