Why the War of 1812 is sometimes called the 'Second War for Independence?

Answer 1

Leading up to the War of 1812 Great Britain had been contributing to the harassment of American trade. British naval ships were stopping American ships, mostly merchant and not naval, and pressing -- or rather, forcing -- some of the American crew members to join the British Navy on the grounds that American crew members were supposedly "British citizens" who had deserted and become American. America, having declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, had citizens that were English in descent, but who now considered themselves American citizens. You could call the War of 1812 a "Second War for Independence" if you consider the idea that America had to stand up and reinforce that they were their own country with their own citizens and trade.

However, the facts suggest it can't be seen that way. Had Britain started the war, invaded the US, and kept captured American territory, it could be seen as a Second War for Independence...but none of those things is true.

The United States started the war and attacked a neighbour, but was decisively defeated and pushed out of Canada in a series of battles, retreating so quickly that it surrendered Detroit, Buffalo and Fort Dearborn (Chicago).

The British also landed an force that captured Washington. Had they intended to reverse the American Revolution, they would have held on to Washington and NOT burned the White House, but they had no intention of doing so.

In fact, the British had just ended a much, much bigger war against Napoleon, and so hundreds of thousands of battle-hardened British troops were suddenly available to cross the Atlantic. Consider the effect that many troops would have had, given that just 5200 British troops had repelled the American invasion of Canada.

Even with a much, much smaller force, the British now occupied large portions of the US...but Britain was weary of war after the long struggle with Napoleon, and when the Americans asked for peace talks, Britain agreed, AND turned captured American territory back to the US: obviously not something it would do if it had any thoughts of of ending the US rebellion of 37 years before.

Answer 2

The facts show it could not be regarded as a "Second War for American Independence".

There were several issues in the years leading up to 1812. The Royal Navy had stopped American ships, seized sailors, and made them join Britain's sailors. Many of those sailors were, in fact, Royal Navy deserters, but some were not. Britain's reaction to America's complaints was to finally cancel impressment, before the war began, but news didn't reach Washington until after the US had declared war.

Other issues -- trade embargoes, and the seizure of American ships -- stemmed from Britain's very long, bloody, and much larger war against Napoleon. Britain and France blockaded each other, meaning that any ship bringing supplies to the other side was liable to be seized, whether it was American or any other countries' vessel.

Then there was the native issue: Pulitzer-prize winning American historian Alan Taylor describes in detail the almost paranoid wave of terror Americans felt toward natives whose homeland was blocking US expansion westward. The natives had begun defending their territory from waves of settlers, much to the annoyance of American politicians, who were also upset that Britain had a peaceful trading relationship with the natives. Newspapers charged that Britain was supplying guns and encouraging natives to attack Americans...and frequently the papers called for the outright extermination of the natives.

The biggest issue, though, was the chance to use those other things as an excuse to invade, and forcibly annex Canada, which was governed by Britain. The US had 20 times as many people, and Thomas Jefferson called it "a mere matter of marching."

Finally, the legislators known as the "War Hawks" stampeded the president into declaring war. Canada, while outnumbered on the battlefields by as much as ten to one, thrashed the invaders, and sent them retreating not only back over the border, but beyond: US forces surrendered Detroit, Buffalo and Fort Dearborn (Chicago) in the process. For the Canadians and the natives, who jointly made up two thirds of the defense, it was a huge victory in a situation in which defeat would have meant the end of Canada.

Things went so badly for the US that the seven New England states publicly discussed seceding from the Union. That discussion continued right up until the end of the war. Vermont spent the war selling vital war materials to the Royal Navy.

The British went on the attack, taking large portions of US territory, and, famously, burning the White House. There were a few American victories, mostly at sea, but the US Navy could not stop the Royal Navy from blockading American ports, and devastating the economy.

Then, back in Europe, Britain won its war against Napoleon, and while it suddenly had the capacity to send very large numbers of battle-hardened troops to North America, the British were weary of war, and had no desire to hold onto the American territory they had already taken. The Americans knew they could never hold off that many troops, so when the British offered a return to the old borders, the Americans quickly agreed. This, by the way, destroys the notion that the war was "a Second Revolutionary War", since Britain's actions make it perfectly clear that it had no desire to undo the revolution when it could have easily used those troops to do so.

The Treaty of Ghent offered absolutely no concessions on ANY of the US grievances -- in fact, it didn't even mention them -- but the Americans were quick to sign, knowing the alternative.