In the year 1812, the United States was still in its infancy as a new nation. The new nation had won the Revolutionary War, but relations with Great Britain were still being tested. Although the War of 1812 is often referred to as the forgotten war, its causes and outcome were significant to American history. The causes and outcome of the War of 1812 were significant to American history because the United States in its infancy was forced to grapple with the causes, which seemed to change as the war progressed; the battles, which identified new causes; and that it emerged as a strong, independent nation. The War of 1812 was the war that established the United States as a country that could be taken seriously. In 1812, the U.S.A. was still a new nation. They had very little defense and not many people. Initially, President James Madison declared war on Great Britain for a second time after he learned they were raiding many of their trade ships. They kidnapped the U.S. sailors and forced them …show more content…
Although it was a war in which the U.S. barely survived, Americans were full of pride. Andrew Jackson was deemed a war hero. The United States failed to invade Canada, ending their dream of adding Canada to the U.S. Almost nothing was gained for either side. 1 However, the U.S. gained respect from Europe because they managed to survive Great Britain again. 1 The U.S. managed to survive the war using untrained troops against highly trained troops. The War of 1812 was the war that brought the United States out of its infancy, and established it as a country not to be messed with. The causes and outcome of the War of 1812 were significant to American history because the United States in its infancy was forced to grapple with its causes and battles. However, it emerged as a strong, independent nation. Therefore, the War of 1812 was a pivotal war for the United States of