When did Madison declare war in 1812?

Answer 1

The basic causes of the War of 1812 were economic, commercial, territorial, and part bluff. A group in Congress lead by Henry Clay, known as the “War Hawks” wanted to invade Canada and make it part of the United States. The War Hawks were supported in the West and South. Because of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, our commercial rights as a neutral on the high seas were being infringed upon by France and England. Great Britain also practiced the policy of impressment, stopping American ships and claiming that some sailors were British deserters from the British navy and forcing them to serve on British war ships. Impressment had been a policy of Great Britain for a long time. The New England states did not support the War because because they would lose money and trade. Mostly Jeffersonians and agriculture interests supported the commercial reasons for the war. Southern agriculture suffered from the British policies more so than the Eastern merchants. Some westerners also believed that the British were stirring up the Indians in the Northwest, to attack American settlers. The American government hoped that in threatening war, the British might give in to American’s demands regarding our rights as neutrals. The Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, restored British and American relations to what they had been before the war began. While not solving any of the problems that caused the war, the Battle of New Orleans victory, followed by news of the Treaty of Ghent, caused the Americans increased pride and led to a developing nationalism and expansion westward.