War Of 1812

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and the United Kingdom and its colonies, especially Upper Canada (Ontario), Lower Canada (Quebec), Nova Scotia and Bermuda.

The war was fought from 1812 to 1815 on both land and sea. By the end of the war, 1,600 British and 2,260 American troops had died.

The United Kingdom was at war with France and,to impede American trade with France , imposed a series of restrictions that the U.S. contested as illegal under international law.

On June 1, America declared war on Britain for a number of reasons: outrage at the impressment of thousands of American sailors, frustration at British restrictions on neutral trade while Britain warred with France, and anger at British military support for tribes in the Ohio-Indiana-Michigan area. One faction in Congress desired the conquest of Canada while the British were occupied in their war with France, in the belief that if they were sufficiently weakened, Canada would be easily overcome.This group was a minority, but another faction opposing impressment of seamen contributed sufficient votes to pass a bill declaring war by the smallest margin that had ever been recorded on a war vote in the United States Congress.On May 11th Prime Minister Percival, was shot and killed by an assasin resulting in a change in the UK goverment with Lord Liverpool who was for a more practical relation with the United States. A repeal of the impressment orders were issued but the US unaware as it took three weeks for the news to cross the Atlantic. After war was declared, Britain offered to rescind the trade restrictions, but it was too late to appease the American War Hawks, who portrayed the conflict as a second war for independence.

In addition to the stated reasons for going to war, a major goal of the War Hawks in the western and southern states was aggressive territorial expansion. The intent was to drive the British out of North America, and the Spanish out of Florida.

http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/1812/index.html