Introduction
The war of 1812 was mainly fought between Britain and United States. Several factors agitated the America and Britain to measure their strength through war. the main one was the need for economic supremacy. The seventeenth century was a defining moment in various nations who wanted to prove how powerful they were to the world. This was all about which state will own the biggest portion of land, which was a sign of supremacy. Compared to current times when state boundaries are defined, during the seventieth century, people would engage in war to displace a certain community and occupy the land. This became the trend as other nations decided to form allies that will facilitate victory.
The war
After years of agitation and tensions between the United States and Britain, America decided to engage in war. This was to be done by passing a declaration in parliament, which was not supported by most members. Members understood what war would cost the country and other negative implications it would have on it. Britain on the other hand was looking for an opportunity to mend its relationships with United States. All this clashed which made the nations to engage in wars they had not planned. Compared to United States, Britain was more experienced in handling wars considering its participation in Napoleonic wars1. There were economic tensions and pursuit for political supremacy that made America to fight with Britain.
Britain had frustrated the efforts of United States to carry out trade activities with France for long. They did this by entering into agreements with France and locking out America in the plans. America’s economy was flourishing with the country having an advantage of foreign currency. This was because of the export of agricultural products which became a thereat to Britain. They hence started imposing trade restrictions o them with the purpose of minimizing their foreign income. This was going far with Britain influencing other nations to impose such restrictions. America and Britain were also fighting over portions of land that were considered to have economic potentials. The only way they would do this is by proving that they had the power to not only occupy but also retain the land. This would not succeed diplomatically as every nation believed that had what was required to occupy land. War was the only way to confirm what they believed.
Despite the efforts of civilians to stop the government from engaging in the war, political leaders of the time thought that engaging in war would be the best opportunity to prove their supremacy2. They believed they had adequate work force and resources to teach Britain a lesson. What they were pushing for were more of personal interests rather than what the rest of the citizens felt. The results were young men being ambushed from their homes to fight a war they were not trained for. To make matters worse, they were not well equipped to defend themselves from their enemies who were more experienced. This therefore led to the death of many American soldiers most of whom never had the opportunity to receive a good send off from their families.
It so happened that what the country was seeking to protect during the war is what it lost. It was realized that they lost much more than they were expecting to gain from the war. First, the most productive group of the country, perished in war living the population mainly composed of women and children. Secondly, the country spent more of its resources to fund for a war they would not win3. These funds had been budgeted for other development activities but used for war purposes. When the war ended, the country was counting loss of innocent citizens, resources and their military supremacy. The country was held between mourning for the departed souls and reviving the economy that was at its lowest.
Conclusion
Despite the negative consequences that were experienced during the war of 1812, it remained to be a defining moment for the two nations. This made them prove their supremacy in other ways, which became a benefit to many nations. It was also a lesson to the leaders that war would never be used as a perfect solution to solve their wrangles. Even though United States decided to invest in military, they decided to make allies with other underdeveloped nations for the purpose of obtaining the raw materials required for their industrial production. It was also a defining moment in the history of women as their significance to the society was revealed. After the death of their husbands in the war, they had to take up their positions and displayed strength that surprised many men. The war of 1812 and its outcome were considered to be advantageous especially to the women who also realized that they were capable of engaging in activities they had been denied for quite sometime. This was also a period where citizens demanded for a government that will not just make and implement decisions without consulting them.
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O'Neill, Robert & Benn, Carl. The War of 1812: The Fight for American Trade Rights. London:
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