Existing comment:
War Fever:
The declaration of war on Britain occurred against a backdrop of intense public debate an a divided Congress.
The Federalists had pursued a policy in the 1790s of "preparedness" for any potential new war. Using new taxes and a national bank, they invested in the army, navy, and coastal defenses. Their pro-British foreign policy was intended to ensure peace with England and protect American commerce.
The Democratic-Republicans took office in 1801 and reversed these unpopular policies. America was now more exposed to rough British treatment on the high seas, including the impressment of her sailors. When an American Indian uprising against land seizures broke out in the Northwest Territory in 1811, many Americans were convinced the British were behind it.
President Madison and the "War Hawks," a small but powerful group of Democratic-Republicans, began calling for war with England, one which many saw as a "second war of independence." The Federalists and some Democratic-Republicans were not convinced. One commented, "The war fever has its hot and cold fits."
However, strength of feeling ran high against the British practice of impressment and its restrictions on American trade. Amidst appeals to defend "free trade and sailors' rights," the war vote narrowly passed. It was the closest such vote in American history. On June 18, 1812 American was once again at war with the world's mightiest empire. |