War Of 1812 Dbq Essay

Throughout the annals of American history, the advocation for freedom, and the absorption of ideals such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been at the forefront of the American belief. These beliefs were implemented in 1776 through the Declaration of Independence. This document was ratified by recalcitrant Americans who would not tolerate subjection to tyrannical rule. The American people hoped this document would seal their fate in relation to Europe, and prove to them, and frankly the entire world, that they were a separate, sufficient nation. But as the years unfolded, the realization that America would continue to be considered an inferior nation arose. European countries such as England and France continued to undermine

Prior to the war, there were two characteristically different parties that engulf the political spectrum in America: the Federalist party and the Republican Party. Amongst their disagreements was the quarrel over the War of 1812. On one side, the Federalist Party pushed congress not to engage in war with the most powerful country at the time, saying that, according to Rufus King, the war was a “war of parties” rather than a war of international struggle. The Federalists believed that the war was merely pushed by political motives, calling the war “Mr. Madison’s war”, alluding to the premise that James Madison was expanding his political influence past his allotted boundary and fighting only on the behalf of his own hubris, not for tangible, rational reasons. On the other side, the Republican Party stood for the opposite. Thomas Jefferson, the credited founder of the Republican Party, was timid about war with the British, but stood for the inevitable. Passing the Embargo Act of 1807 solidified this path to war and began the coercion of the British; moreover, Jefferson was quoted as saying: “an immediate embargo is necessary in order to retrieve our lost honor & to bring the mad King to his senses”, which proved that Jefferson not only thought of the War of 1812 as a war to be wary about, but as a necessity for the

Ever since the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the creed for America to expand became very prominent. But, as the nation continued to expand its territorial limits, the issue arose about the increasing number of indian attacks that were being perpetuated by the British. Indian attacks hindered the American belief of manifest destiny and continued to place America as an inferior people under Britain’s superior rule. An example of a British-sponsored indian raid took place in mid-America in 1811. As the treatment of indian tribes and families became abhorrent, two brothers: Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa, erected the Indian Confederacy. This confederacy was founded upon the termination of the “corrupt white race”, and their practices of oppression towards Native Americans. Tecumseh scrupulously embedded a rebellious ideology within the indian society, saying:
For many years we traded furs to the English and the French, for wool blankets and guns and iron things, (...) This was foolish, but we did not know it. We shut our ears to the Great Good Spirit. But now these things of the white man have corrupted us, and made us weak and