The Causes of the War of 1812 / Reginald Horsman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Horsman, Reginald, Author.

Series:

Anniversary Collection

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (348 p.)

Edition:

Reprint 2016

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2016]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The origins of the War of 1812 have long been a source of confusion for historians, owing to the lack of attention that has been paid to England's part in precipitating the conflict and to the overemphasis placed on "western expansionist" factors. This volume offers the first analysis of the causes of the war from both the British and American points of view, showing clearly that, contrary to the popular misconception, the war's basic causes are to. be found not in America but in Europe. For unless one accepts the view that America committed an act of pure aggression in 1812, one must turn to the motives underlying British policy to deter­mine why America felt it had to fight. In the years immediately preceding the war (1803-1812), England was dominated by a faction that pledged itself not only to defeat Napoleon but also to maintain British commercial supremacy. The two main points of contention between England and America during this period--impress­ment and the restrictions imposed by the Orders in Council--were direct results of these commitments. America finally had no alternative but to oppose with force British maritime policy, which, although partly caused by jealousy of American commercial growth, stemmed in large measure from involvement in total war with France. In addition to tracing the gradual drift to war in America, Reginald Horsman shows that the Indian problem and American expansionist designs against Canada played small part in bringing about the struggle. He examines the efforts made by America to avoid conflict through means of economic coercion, efforts whose failure confronted the nation with two choices: war or submission to England. Since the latter alternative presented more terrors to the recent colonists, America went to war.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

1. Background of Conflict

2. The Threat of Invasion

3. American Indecision

4. A Whig Interlude

5. The Monroe-Pinkney Treaty

6. Embargo and Orders in Council

7. The Failure of the Embargo

8. The Erskine Agreement

9. The Problem of the West

10. The Turn of the Tide

11. The Growth of Opposition

12. Crisis in the Northwest

13. The War Hawks

14. America Goes to War

15. Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Jul 2020)

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781512802672

1512802670

OCLC:

979751354