Blog #56 – Did America “win” the War of 1812?
America went to war with Britain and Canada over three main issues: 1. freedom of the seas for trade; 2. gaining new land like Canada; 3. dealing with Indian issues.
Since the French Revolution, British and French navies seized American ships and sailors who had been caught up in trading either in the West Indies or in Europe. In order to keep America out of these situations, President Jefferson approved of the Embargo Act of 1807 which ended all American trade with the world. Even the dust-up with the American (Chesapeake) and British ship (Leopard) in 1807 ten miles off the coast of Virginia raised Americans’ blood pressure. When we began trading with the rest of the world (Non-Intercourse Act and Macon’s Bill No. 2), more impressment and interference made American shipping a difficult business.
The War Hawks saw Canada as a great prize to be taken if the Americans attacked. They thought that with Britain distracted by Napoleon’s war, the Canadians would be an easy target for a coordinated American invasion. American forces invaded not once but twice, in 1812 and in 1813, and the only successful win was the Battle of the Thames where Shawnee chief Tecumseh was killed. In 1814, the Canadian capitol, York (modern day Toronto) was burned by American forces, but Canada proved to be extremely difficult to capture – we invaded Canada with only 5,000 soldiers/ militia while in Europe, Napoleon invaded Russia with half a million soldiers and still lost! In addition, the southern and western War Hawks wanted to capture Canada to stop the New Englanders from illegally trading with Canada (seen as a traitorous act b/c we were at Britain / Canada).
Lastly, Americans on the frontier (Northwest territory, Southern territories like Alabama and Mississippi and Spanish 
Florida) had been fighting the Indians and white Americans continued to encroach on their territory. For instance, Indiana territorial governor William Henry Harrison negotiated the transfer of 3 million acres in Indiana with the Treaty of Fort Wayne signed with the Pottawattomie, Lanape, and Miami tribes in 1809. This treaty had angered Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet (Tenskwatawa) who wanted Indians to not sign treaties with America, and return to their old ways by getting rid of alcohol, finished clothes, farming, and Christianity. Harrison’s forces kill the Prophet at Tippecanoe in 1811, and Tecumseh continues to fight until 1813 when he was killed at the Battle of the Thames. Andrew Jackson also defeated Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814 in Alabama before heading to New Orleans to defeat the British. Jackson would later campaign into Florida a couple of years after the War of 1812 and seize the territory by defeating the Seminoles and taking the Spanish capitol, Pensacola.
The Treaty of Ghent was essentially an armistice, or an end to the fighting. The British didn’t get their Indian buffer zone in the Great Lakes area nor did they get Maine and Minnesota like they had originally proposed. The British had stopped impressment of American soldiers after the Napoleonic Wars were over in 1814. And Canada remained safe from American invasion, so the borders all remained where they were before the war. The treaty released all prisoners and seized ships, and Britain and America gave back territory that they had held at the end of the war (including Fort Mackinac).
So, looking at the three goals that America had going into the war, the only one that we had achieved was dealing with Indian issues. The British and the French stopped impressment of American sailors without us having to resort to much naval warfare. We failed in our attempt at taking Canada from the Brits, so why is this war considered an American victory? Or should it be considered a tie, much like the Korean War where after three years of bloody fighting (1950-53), an armistice was also signed and little if any land changed hands.
Canadians don’t think of this as an American victory; they see it as a joint British / Canadian victory.
What’s your opinion on the War of 1812? Is it a victory (a second war for American Independence like the book mentioned) or is it a defeat like the Canadians believe? Or should it be regarded as a tie between Britain and America (which, considering the relative military might of both countries, may be considered a win for America)? Explain your answer in at least 250 words.
The War of 1812 was not a win nor a complete loss for America. It was not a win because of all of our grievances and reasons for entering the war, there was only one that was accomplished. The reasons were acquiring Canada, our issues with the local Indians and freedom of the seas. The Treaty of Ghent alone only directly addressed the issue of the impressment of soldiers by requiring all countries involved to release all prisoners and seized ships, but the most important issue of freedom of the seas was not addressed in the Treaty at the end of the war. Acquiring Canada was not successful. We invaded twice and only came out with a win in one battle, the battle of Thames, but overall, we were defeated both times. Our Indian issue was the only one of the three grievances that was completely addressed and dealt with. We ended up winning several different battles with the Indians including killing the Prophet, a powerful Indian leader, at the Battle of Tippecanoe, defeating the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, and killing Tecumseh, another important Indian leader, at the Battle of Thames. With these battles the Indians backed off the Americans. With only one direct success of the war, America should hardly be considered the victors. In relations, America should not be considered defeated completely because they do have one thing to be proud of coming out of the War of 1812. Being such a new country with a small defense network, Britain should have easily defeated us in a short time with their large and extensive militia. They had the upper hand going into the war, but America proved difficult to overpower and in the end, Britain came out of the war with several things left to be desired such as control of the Great Lakes and Maine and Minnesota. The Treaty of Ghent forced all countries involved to give back territory won and all borders remained the same as before the war. This war helped unite America further, and further solidified their standing as a solo country.
The war of 1812 celebrated as a win In America and a win in Canada but really it was a tie. The first reason is that, neither side accomplished what they were trying to, America only solved their Indian issues by luckily killing the prophet for the Indian rebellion in one battle we almost lost .The only reason our sailors went being repressed anymore is because the British and French didn’t need them anymore after the Napoleonic wars ended. The second reason it was a tie is the fact that both countries came to an agreement that didn’t change anything, this can be considered a tie because neither country gained nor lost anything. Another reason is because we both invaded each other, us invading Canada and the British fighting Indians attacking our frontiers men the reason this results in a tie is because we won some battles in Canada and they (the Indians) won some battles here none with any real significance to an outcome. Another reason this is a tie is because both armies were too weak to fight each other the small American army got basically crushed in Canada winning only a couple battles and the British already tied up in a war with napoleon captured Washington and were drove out by us forces and the treaty of Ghent. The War of 1812 was a tie between the Americans and British/Canadians because it was a stalemate in essence and we ended up coming to an agreement that changed very little if nothing after the war.
The War of 1812 is considered a victory by Americans and by Canadians. In truth, I believe that it is a tie because there was no major gains or losses by either side. The three major reasons for us going to war were freedom of the seas, problems with Indians, and the possibility of getting new land (Canada or Florida). If we look at what was actually accomplished by the end of the war, we can objectively say that our goals weren’t accomplished the way we hoped. Our problems with Indians stopped because the British/Canadians stopped arming them with guns. We did not gain Canada. In fact, even though the War of 1812 was considered a tied war, we lost the battle in Canada when we were crushed by the British/Canadians. It was assumed that Canada would be an easy target with Britain concentrating on their war closer to home. We invaded not once, but twice, and failed both times. Our execution was poorly thought out – attacking in three seperate places with a divided army. If we had attacked a major city directly, it could crumble the rest of the area. Besides the fighting, our other problems weren’t really adressed in the Treaty of Ghent. The Treaty of Ghent was basically an armistice – an end to the fighting. The borders remained where they were – not much land really gained or lost. The British did not get their proposed Indian buffer zone or the land in the America’s that they wanted. Overall, it’s not like either of us gained or lost anything through the war, making it’s conclusion during the Treaty of Ghent an impasse.
The war of 1812 can be considered as a victory, loss, or somewhere in the middle. In my opinion the war of 1812 was a loss for American. I think the war of 1812 was a loss because nothing really changed in America yes we got the British to stop attacking our ships and we got some more of the Indians land (which we were already stealing in the first place). The events that lead up to the war didn’t help us in any bit whatsoever. For example Jefferson’s embargo on all trade with any country single handedly destroyed the struggling economy of the United States. He tried to make it up by passing the non-intercourse act, which allowed trade with all countries except Britain and France. But the damage had already been done to the United States economy. In addition to that we had the constant pressure from the war hawks to invade Canada. The war hawks wanted the United States to invade Canada because the British were preoccupied with the Napoleonic wars in Europe. The war hawks plan failed miserably with the loss in Canada and we allowed the British to make it all the way to Washington D.C. and burn the capitol. That sounds like a loss letting the enemy make it all the way to your capital city and burn it to the ground. In addition to that we signed a treaty that kept the land boundaries the same as they were before the war. In reality the war was a loss to the United States because we didn’t gain land, and we lost money, soldiers, and our capital city. They say history is written by the victors but in this case scenario I believe we are no the victors.
In my opinion, the War of 1812 was a loss for America. What they put into the war effort was a lot more than they got out of it and it seemed premature saying as the treaty was passed before we declared war. America went into the war wanting to resolve Indian issues, gain land in Canada, and freedom of the seas. The only one of these goals that was accomplished as a result of the War of 1812 was stopping Indian issues. The only battle won in Canada was the Battle of the Thames so we weren’t able to capture that land. Although we eventually did get freedom of the seas, it wasn’t because of the war. In fact, we didn’t have to fight much of a maritime war at all. The reason we got back the freedom of the seas was because Britain’s war with France ended, which would have happened even without the War of 1812. When we tried to fix the problem of our seamen being impressed with the embargo, we just hurt America’s economy even more. Even though Britain and Canada didn’t necessarily defeat us militarily, we took the War of 1812 because we didn’t accomplish any of the goals we wanted to with the war. However, if the goals had been to boost national ego and prove to other countries, maybe it would count as a win, but that wasn’t America’s plan. All in all, America didn’t lose the war because our military was crushed by that of Britain’s, but because our goals weren’t accomplished and the losses far outweighed America’s gains.
The belief that the Americans won the War of 1812 is inane. There was no true victor of this war. Although the British and Americans both proclaim their victories, nothing was achieved in the end. The Treaty of Ghent restored all land gain back to the original ways before the war, and each country went back to their own ways of life. The Americans did have solid reasons for starting this war though. 1) British naval ships blockading our shipping lanes and disrupting our trade with all other countries, leaving us broke and discombobulated. 2)Indian issues to the west. The British gave weapons and training to the Indians in order to fight off the Americans in hope of regaining their lands that was rightfully theirs. 3)The quest for more land. Although there was no clear winner and loser, the results of of the War of 1812 did not achieve the great onslaughts that the British/Americans were looking for. The three battles led on by American War-Hawks ended in territorial issues and senseless losses of lives. In the end, British redcoats retreated back into their Canadian lands and ended the push for another revolutionary war; along with the backing of their naval brigade throughout the Atlantic. Americans eventually re-opened trading with all countries, including the rivaled British and French, and the rebuilding “era of good feeling” commenced. The Americans felt pride in their country for “driving out” (not really) the oppressive Brits and taking control of what was and will always be their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There was no gain, only loss, in the war by which many feel was pointless.
The War of 1812 was definitely a tie, with a better outcome for the Americans. It’s impossible for it to be a win or loss for either side because both sides gained and lost things in this war. The Americans being on the offensive; in order to achieve a win had to conquer the Canadian Territory, solve their issues with the Indians, and stop the interference of the British with American shipping. The British/ Canadians being on the defensive, only had to defend Canada. They also wanted Maine, Minnesota and a buffer zone for trade. Technically the Americans only solved their problems with the Indians, trough the battle of Tippecanoe and Horseshoe bend. Even though the impressments of American sailors ended before the war started, the Americans didn’t get word of this until it was too late. Due to the timing of this truce in nautical oppression, I believe that the British only agreed to those terms knowing that the Americans would soon declare war. Though the end of the impressments didn’t come directly come from war, It came from threats of war which is just as plausible. The only thing the British really accomplished in the war was defending Canada. They also never got their buffer zone, Maine, or Minnesota. You definitely can’t count that as a win considering that the British army was so much larger than the American army, and they received help from the Canadians. It’s hard to say that a nation won a war when they didn’t gain anything and only managed to maintain their territory. But it’s also hard to say that they lost. Putting all this aside, the true losers of the war were the Indians. They fought in a war where a win on either side wouldn’t fully benefit them. Many of them died in this war, and the war of 1812 paved the way for the conquering or more Indian lands.
The War of 1812 was Americas “loss”. We really did not achieve any of the goals we set out to get. We did not even wholly resolve the Indian issue, as more issues with them quickly resurfaced in different forms with westward expansion. Freedom of sea trade, with the lack of impressment, was not won due to the war, or new lands in Canada. In those respects, the war was a total failure for America. That is in regards to the Canadians and British. We did lose to them, but America did not lose everything from the war. America found gains even in its defeat. During the war, manufacturing and industry became larger and allowed America to feel, and be, more independent. Our willingness to fight afforded us more respect abroad, and our national spirit and unity rose. We felt prouder and more defined as a country. If you are looking at those facts, we still did not win the war, but we did gain a lot from it. Along with those results, there was also the “death” of the Federalist Party, seen as the North traitorous trading partners of Canada during the war. Although their death may not really be a gain, the following Era of Peace, which had relative peace and made the nation feel more united, was a something good for America. These accomplishments and the sense of victory that a few battles we won gave us, like the one at New Orleans won by Jackson technically after the war, delude Americans into thinking we did win the war. We did not win the war, we achieved none of the original goals through the war, however we did gain from the war despite all this.
We can all agree that the real losers of the War of 1812 were the Indians. They were granted nothing in the Treaty of Ghent, and were dominated throughout the war. This also was one of the three main goals of the American attack. You can never enter a war and accomplish everything you set out to do. In fact, the 33 percent success rate of the Americans was the highest of the war, considering the British didn’t get anything out of it. Also, the Americans overcame the great disadvantage of having a weak army and navy and managed to fight off the most powerful army and navy in the world. The fact that they didn’t lose is a victory in and of itself. Britain was given the perfect opportunity and excuse to put America back under their control, but they messed it up. There also came many unexpected gains in American society from the war, such as a newly forged sense of Nationalism and brief unity, with a reason to celebrate another “victory” over the British. I don’t agree with the American motives to start the war, and neither do I agree that we should have declared war (in such a state of military inferiority), but America did accomplish more than anyone else, and definitely didn’t lose anything. However, we did not win this war by a large margin in any means. If we hadn’t have beat the Indians, we would not have won the war of 1812. This war was a slight but significant victory.
The war of 1812 was a complicated war for America. I do not believe anyone truly won the war of 1812. Going into the war America, British, and Canada all want to gain and accomplish many different things by the time the war was over. To say there was an all out winner would be completely wrong because none of the three completed all of there goals and won. Our goals by the end of the war were getting new land, freedom of the seas and trade, and resolve the indian issues. By the end of the war for us we only completed the indians goal. Many Americans say we won because of the fact that we completed a goal, and the British completed none. I say we are just the best of two losers, but not at all a winner. The British main goals were to take control of Maine and Minnesota and neither of those worked out. America resolved one out of three issues which is not very good, and on top of it when we tried to take the battle to Canada we got our butts handed to us. I also believe that people or Americans think we won the war because of the fact that the last battle to take place we destroyed the British. But in fact that isn’t true, the battle happened after the war was ended and everybody believe that this war ended it. The war did help America with nationalism so the miscommunication was actually a good thing. The war of 1812 was a tie because no one really gained anything that they set out to gain in the first place.
To begin, there were many reasons America went to war initially. Starting with the french impressing American seamen. And, of course, there were the three main reasons America went to war/were wanting to gain/end out of the war. Like, gaining land (Florida and Canada), freedom of the seas, and they [Americans] could solve the pestering problem that was Native Americans attacking on the frontier, with what Americans believed was weapons provided to them by Great Britain. Albeit, not the entire American population was pro-war, Federalist especially opposed war bc hey felt more inclined to the mother country, Great Britain. And they also felt the addition of new land meant more agrarian land and increased Republican support. In the end, the Treaty of Ghent was signed and the war was ended. With the two enemies agreeing to stop the war, they also agreed to return everything as it was before the war. By doing this, all conquered property was returned, and both sides neither lost or gained anything. The war ended in a stalemate. The United States achieved none of its goals they’d set out for. Thankfully, France and Britain didn’t plan to encroach American rights again. However, although the Americans did not gain anything (physically) they did an increased over sea reputation seeing as they survived the war and made it out completely stable. With this being said, the war should be considered a tie between Great Britain and the USA. It should not be considered a win or loss.
The war of 1812 should be regarded as a tie between Great Britain and America. Although the war was able to boost nationalism throughout the country, America had not achieved all of there pre-war objectives. The United States had set out to resolve three main issues such as; freedom of the seas, expanding and gaining new land such as Canada, and dealing with Indian issues. After the Embargo was proven to be ineffective, and weakened our economy, we began trading with the rest of the world as a result of the Non-Intercourse Act, and Macon’s Bill No.2. This also did not help in regards to trading, as more British impressment on American Sailors had proven to make American shipping a difficult business to pursuit. With the British focus on Napoleon, The United States believed Canada would be an easy target. We found out that Canada was much more difficult to capture than anticipated, as we were only successful in the Battle of Thames where we reclaimed Detroit, and where Shawnee Chief Tecumseh was killed. In regard to dealing with Indian issues, we had killed Tecumseh and his brother who was considered the prophet in the battles of Tippecanoe and Thames. These battles were a result of the angered Tecumseh and his brother who did not want Indians to sign treaties with America for land, and wanted them to return to their old ways. Andrew Jackson also seized the Florida territory after defeating the Seminoles and taking the Spanish capitol. The war of 1812 concluded with the Treaty of Ghent held in modern day Belgium. The treaty released all prisoners and seized ships, but Britain and America had to give back territory that they held at the end of the war. The British also did not get their Indian buffer zone nor did they gain Maine and Minnesota like they had originally planned. All border after the war remained the same as they did before. Although the war had ended in a stalemate between America and the British, it is important to note that it created the so-called “Era of Good Feelings” which boosted nationalism throughout America.
I believe that the War of 1812 should be considered a tie between Britain and America. In most cases, the champion of the war is the country that either gained land, money, or power. Britain and American got virtually nothing from the Treaty of Ghent. Of course, the war was brought to a halt, but there was no exchange of territory, money, or power. Honestly, the War of 1812 didn’t bring much success to any of the goals of the war, those goals being: attaining freedom of the seas, gaining land, and solving Indian issues. As far as freedom of the seas goes, Britain had stopped impressment in 1814 after the Napoleonic Wars. This could give an edge to an American victory but it wasn’t solved by fighting in the war of 1812. With regards to gaining land, the Treaty of Ghent assured that all seized territory would be returned to the country that had owned it before the war. Finally, there was some gain in regards to solving Indian issues. Tecumseh and the prophets’ uprising had been stopped at the Battle of Thames with the death of Tecumseh. Additionally, Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. This was definitely not the end to all Indian issues; there was more to come over the following decades. In conclusion, I believe there was no true champion of the War of 1812, and therefore it should be considered a tie between Britain and the United States of America.
A single country was not victorious in the Battle of 1812. It really came out to be a draw between The British and the Americans. But this battle was not a draw in the sense that each country had an equal amount of success, but an equal amount of failure. Before the war, the British were seizing American ships that were trading with the West Indies and Europe. To protect our sailors from impressment, America set up the Embargo act to eliminate all foreign trade. As this limited the growth of the American economy, the Non-Intercourse act was put into place. This is when America started trading with all countries with the exception of Britain and France. But while these acts were set up as a deterrent from the two European superpowers, it really made it worse for the American economy. The British and French had other territories and America had to rely on itself. At this point America was its own nation, but it was being indirectly controlled by Britain. After the war the British and French did stop the impressment of the sailors. But other than the Americans accomplishments with the Indians, everything was pretty much restored after the war. At this point Americas main goal was to gain total independence from Britain. At this point is was basically a fresh start to new tactics that America would have to take to get it point across to Britain. So as both countries failed to get what they wanted the were both in the same position after the war, leaving no one a clear winner.
I believe that the War of 1812 was a tie between America and Britain. America went into this war wanting several things from the British, freedom of trade on the seas, new land (Canada), and for issues with the indians to be resolved, as the British were allies with the Indians. The British were forcing American sailors to serve in the British Navy while they were at sea and Americas first attempt to stop this was the Embargo of 1807 where Thomas Jefferson, president at the time, cut off all trade with the rest of the world, he thought this would make Britain realize that they needed American goods and they would stop impressing American sailors. Americans thought that Canada would be an easy prize to claim but what the British wanted was to keep the Americans within their territory and that’s exactly what they did, the Americans came in and tried to invade and the Canadians sent them right back into America. As for the issues with Indians, the British were supplying them with guns and they became a more threatening issue for the Americans than they had been previously now that they were armed and the Americans really wanted them to stop as their westward expansion continued. And so the war waged on for 2 years. Then in December of 1814 America and Britain met in Belgium to sign the treaty of Ghent and some issues were resolved, and others were not. The British would stop impressing American sailors, and would do as much as they could with the Indians but both countries said they would return any conquered land and thus the fight for Canada was futile. In the end America didn’t get everything it wanted and the British didn’t not give us everything we wanted and so it was a tie.
The debate over the result of the War of 1812 has been disputed over by many parties since the Treaty of Ghent was officially signed in 1814. Some people that say that the British won the War of 1812 point to the fact that nothing changed significantly in favor of the United States and the fact that the Americans suffered more casualties than the British (2,260 killed in action and 4,505 wounded compared to 1,600 killed in action and 3,679 wounded, respectively). Others point to America’s failed attempt to capture Canada and that British torched the American capital with relative.. People who say that the United States won the War of 1812 point to the fact that after the war, the British stopped impressing American Sailors, the fact that America survived war with and even won battles against a far superior military, the fact that America successfully put down the Indian revolt led by Tecumseh and the Prophet and that the postwar increase in American nationalism brought about the era of good feelings. Some people believe that the war of 1812 was a draw because there was no real territorial change for either side. I personally believe that America won the War of 1812. I believe this to be true because one of the main reasons we went to war was because of British impressment of American sailors and after the War, the British stopped impressing sailors. I also believe that the effects of the war of 1812 were not felt by most until after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, and the boost in nationalism that swept the nation cannot be ignored and the immediate postwar period was the first time that the young nation of America actually had a stable foundation.
I certainly think the war should be considered a sort of stale mate. Neither side achieved much of their goals and in the end it was more a waste of resources, time, and money. The War of 1812 was like a bad bet. We slipped our way into worse and worse circumstances, and the Treaty of Ghent was just a way to cut our losses. We’re lucky to not have lost more but it really would have been better to just stay out of it in the first place. The fact that taking up arms really didn’t have any positive outcomes for the U.S. doesn’t make it a victory for us, and instead of a second war for American independence from British tyranny, we were lucky to escape with the whole of our country in tact. However, the super-power of Great Britain didn’t really escape with a victory either. Not only did they not gain any land or other international advantages, the embarrassment of the most powerful navy in the world not being able to crush a sapling of an independent country is as close to defeat as one can reach without actually losing. So, the War of 1812 should not be considered a British/Canadian victory, due to the embarrassing fight put up by the vastly inferior war power of the United States, nor should it be considered an American victory since we didn’t really win anything, as well as the fact that we would have been better off if we stayed out of it totally. The war should be considered a tie. However, a definite point of pride for the Americans is the valiant resistance they put up to the British juggernaut.
In my opinion, America did not win the War of 1812. American did not achieve most of its goals when it entered the war. Many say that the War of 1812 was a second war for independence, but not that much came out of it. Neither side accomplished all their goals. America’s main goals were to 1) stop the British from impressing American sailors, 2) gain land in Canada and 3) stop the Indians from attacking on the western frontier. America was unsuccessful in most of its battles in the north and was driven back into the United States. America did get Britain to release all impressed sailors when the Treaty of Ghent was signed but the Embargo Act and the Non-Intercourse Act had already done there damage to the American economy. America gained no land in the war. The Treaty of Ghent said that all seized territory should be returned. The only major battle that the Americans won was the Battle of New Orleans but that technically occurred after the treaty was signed. The only goal that America did accomplish was dealing with the Indians in the west. Tecumseh and his brother were two Native American leaders that were starting riots and fights to get their land back and to get Indians to return to their old ways. They wanted to get rid of alcohol, farming, finished clothing, and Christianity. William Henry Harrison, the governor of Indiana ordered forces to attack in the Battle at Tippecanoe in 1811 and again in the Battle of Thames in 1813. Both battles were successful for the Americans. Over all the Americans only accomplished one of the three things they wanted so it was not a win for the United States.
It is difficult to firmly state whether the War of 1812 was a win for America or a tie between Britain and our country. Out of the three main goals America had when entering the war, not all were accomplished. While a resolution clearly occurred in favor of the U.S. in correlation to Indian issues, and no change in land in favor of either country took place, the last goal restrains me from taking a definite side- freedom of the seas. Although in the end a treaty was signed and our sailors and ships were returned, does that make this goal a win for us? Think about all the time Britain possessed these treasures of ours. Britain impressed our sailors, used them during their war against France, then returned them after signing the Treaty of Ghent, which happened to be after the war between Britain and France was concluded. To be blunt, the British used our seamen and returned them when they were finished and not in need of them anymore. How would you react if I took your car for a night without your permission? You have plans that night so you attempt calling me repeatedly and spamming me with text messages, but I don’t respond. The next day, after I have made use of your car, I return it. I promise to never take your car again, and you accept my apology. In the end, who won? Although you, America, got your car back and I, Britain, promise to never take your car (sailors and ships) again, I used it until I didn’t need it anymore. Thus, America may have been given their sailors and ships back, but it is difficult to tell which side actually “won”. Although America resolved their issues with the Indians and neither Canada nor America gained land after the war, I am unsure whether the freedom of the seas goal was a positive for the British or a positive for the Americans. Thus, the War of 1812 was either a win for America or a tie between the two nations based on the perception of the overall outcome of the goal of freedom of the seas.
The war of 1812, even though each side thought that they won the war, was really a stalemate in which barely any progress was made. The war of 1812 occurred because the British were capturing our seamen and arming our Indians, and we believed that we had to attack the British in order to put a stop to their unprovoked and unnecessary actions. We also decided to go to war because we wanted more land, and we had issues with our own Native Americans. Even though we had these issues, this war was I believe unnecessary in the first place. We did go to war, however, and I do not believe it was a victory for either side. The Americans certainly did not win the war because we really only handled one of the three issues by ourselves. We were able to defeat the Natives in a few key battles such as Tippecanoe and repel their aggression. However, the other two issues were not successful for us. We never forced the British to stop capturing our ships, but the British agreed to stop through the Treaty of Ghent. In the land issue, we did really bad because our repeated attempts to invade Canada were repeatedly put down and we did not gain any Canadian land at the end of the war. The British army in Canada even came into our land and burned our Capitol to the ground. The Canadians/British, however, were not victorious because they also suffered key maritime defeats and did not gain any territory either. The war of 1812 ended pretty much with the same boundaries as it began, so it was a tie.
The wr of 18 12 in my opinion was a tie between the United states and great Britain. Neither the U.S or Canada fulfilled the goals that they were trying to fulfill, for example the united states solved their issues with the Indians by killing the leader of the confederacy (Tecumseh) rather than trying to solve theyre issue peacefully and maybe solving the issue all the way. Also british naval ships blockaded our shipping routes leaving our economy broke and spiraling downwards very fast. Also the british were impressing our seaman which means the British captured our soldiers and made them fight for them. The embargo was a failure as well by Thomas Jefferson. We cut off all trade with the rest of the world hoping that the French and the British would come crawling back to us begging us to forgive them and help rebuild they’re struggling economy’s, but no since the embargo had us cut off from trade with the rest of the world it was our economy that weekend because we had no trading partners. Thank god for the treaty of Ghent because I believe that if we did not have the treaty we would not be here today the british were winning more battles than we were and they had more men overseas ready to come fight against us. The British navy was exponentially larger than ours and it showed we lost almost every naval battle that occurred during the war of 1812. So in my opinion yes the war of 1812 was a tie.
In my opinion, i think the real winner of the War of 1812 was The United States. We were able to fight the British, and at the same time keep the independence they had, and also gaining more and creating new laws. The begining of 1812, The United States was still kind of weak, but they had one great strength- their main ally was France who just happened to be the largest superpower in the world. wanting to take down two birds with one stone- Britian commited most of their army and navy to fight not only The U.S. (who they wanted back), but France as well. They wanted to make sure france wouldnt over power them, and so that if they were taken out nobody would be there to send aid to U.S. in a war that would become their first by themselves. we would also be at an advantage because our naval forces were about 788 ships smaller than Britain’s. Britain also had to fight France’s navy which were just as large though. Lastly, the United States had an advantage because we had to protect our coast so we had a land advantage as well as a small coastal boarder protection system. The British mostly had to come by sea, and then they had to come down from Canada. Even though our fighting styles on land were totally different than Britains’ but we had something they didn’t- a want for freedom.
No I do not think that America “won” the war, but I do think it’s a tie. It was a defeat for America because all three attacks made to invade Canada were very unsuccessful. This was more of a joint won between America and Britain because Britain was supplying Indians with weapons to attack the Americans with. The only thing the Americans really won is the battles in the lakes and at New Orleans. The war was over when the battle of New Orleans happened anyway. And the Jays treaty helped the freedom of the seas to get our sailors from Britain and we also gained some respected from them. Indian Issues we won because the battle of Tippecanoe where Tecumseh was killed because him wanted Indians to go back to tradition ways of living by wearing buckskin clothing. And even though all of this happened we still ended up with the same boundaries as before. The treaty of Ghent was supposed to make buffer zones for Indians in Maine and Minnesota, but that never happened and no real impact came from the war for the Americans and they didn’t really win because they only won a few battles that was associated with the war.
In my opinion American lost The war of 1812, American only handled the parts of the war that applied to them and even then we did not do a very good job with that. Defeating the Natives in the battles like the Tippecanoe. We were able to handle out problems with them. When it comes to the British, we never were able to have them stop taking our ships by force, but we were able to do so using a treaty (The Treaty of Ghent.) Then there is the fact that when the Americans tried to invade Canada and take it from the British we failed, then the British humiliated us even more by burning the capital building.
This is why in my opinion I think that American did not win the war of 1812. Instead the British won and in our history books we just write that we did because were American, and we can do what we want.
In the War of 1812 I do not believe that The United States won the War but it was a tie in America’s favor over the British, Canadians, and Native Americans. It was not a win for the Americans because our goals were not met, such as acquiring land in Canada. After two failed invasions and only one victory (Battle of Thames) America had nothing to show for our Canadian ambitions. Where we found defeat in Canada we found success fighting the Native Americans at the Battle of Tippecanoe and Horseshoe Bend. These successful battles stopped the Natives from assaulting our lands and killed their greatest leaders, Tecumseh and the Prophet. The treaty of Ghent did stop the impressment of American sailors but did not secure the total freedom of our seas. By only succeeding in one area of our entire war cause there is no way it can be said that we won the war but it can be said that we did succeed it holding off against the major naval and land power Britain. Britain got the worst of the tie because they failed to create a Native American buffer zone and acquire Minnesota and Maine. The clearly superior army and navy of Britain was beaten over and over again by the Americans which should have not happened because they were better equipped and better trained. I think the great misconception that America won the war comes from the battle of New Orleans which was fought after the war ended but before news reached America. This land slide victory against the British made it seem that the peace treaty was signed as a surrender by the British after a crushing defeat.
The war of 1812 was a tie between Canada and America, although if anyone had a slightly higher elevated win it would be Canada. Looking at the facts, Canada won more battles. For example, the only battle America ever really won was the Battle of Thames and although that did result in the disband of the Indian Confederation due to the death of Chief Tecumseh, it still was only one battle out of around 17 major battles. Americans had three goals for the war and out of three we only had one success, I’m not sure 1 out of 3 qualifies as a win. We got rid of Indian issues, that was about it for our wins and while that is a big issue, in fact the biggest issue we had going into the war, we still didn’t get any land from Canada or freedom of sea trade. I’d say it’s a tie due to the Treaty of Ghent; both sides sat down and worked out an agreement that was fair for everyone. Americans got there seamen back, and gave up land they took from Canada. Britain gave up the idea of getting Maine and Minnesota and stopped the impressment of American sailors. Seems like a pretty fair and equal trade to me. Both sides like to say that they won, but that’s what pride does to you, boasting about things that aren’t even factually true. I suppose over all Canada did lose less soldiers, which is good for them. We did meet one of our most important goals, getting rid of Indians. I think a tie is a fair way for a war to end.
I personally believe that both sides of the conflict can say that they had won the war since America only succeeded in one of its goal. And it succeeded against a notion/nations that globally have a much higher standing of power. While we did succeed in stopping attack from Native Americans against our frontier, all are other objectives fail. Such as the capturing of Canada. The 2 attempts to capture Canada (1812 and 1813) I found laughable using only 5000 men. We did recover all of our impresses seamen but we did not succeed at guaranteeing that it would not occur again. The failure would lead me to say that we did not win the war. On the counter side to that argument the British Empire the strongest empire of the time was not capable of invading the us or even preventing us from invading them. Since we were able to invade Canada a colony of Britain, kill the individual who was the cause for all of the native attacks in America and leave without and major, long lasting effects on the U.S. you could not say that the British won this conflict either .if I had to choose one side to say one it was the Americans since they were the only one who succeeded at any of their objectives, but overall I would say that the war of 1812 was a tie. Though the fact that America a 30 year old country could tie in a war with Brittan should be insulting to the British.
The war of 1812 was definitely not a win, definitely not a loss, but definitely a tie between British and America. We entered the war for three reasons, one to stop the impressments of our seamen, two to stop the Indian attacks and stop the British from supplying Native Americans with guns, and three to gain land in Canada. At the end of the war, instead of losing we were starting to win battles making a treaty not only plausible but ideal because we would lose less in an agreement with Brittan to stop the war. The Treaty of Ghent ended fighting between Americans and British, the treaty released all prisoners and seized ships, and Britain and America gave back territory that they had held at the end of the war making borders the same as before the war. Attacks by Native Americans in the west were down because we killed Tecumseh and his brother the Prophet. The Prophet was killed at Tippecanoe in 1811 and Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of the Thames in 1813 essentially ending Indian attacks on the frontier. Lastly, the invasion of Canada went horribly wrong; even though we had burned their capitol we had been repelled twice and had gained nothing from them in the end. At the end of the war, Americans had thought we had “defeated” the British even though we had not because the Treaty of Ghent had not arrived back to Americans and British soon enough to stop the final battle from happening, in which our victory had united Americans even further and a stronger sense of nationality appears.
Neither American nor Great Britain was victorious in the War of 1812.There are several key reason’s why American declared war on britain. One reason is because During Britain’s war with napoleon’s france, they blockaded the british coastline to halt cargo ships that were suppose to be sent to france. Not only did this disrespect america and their rights, but it stopped America from advancing their finances. Another reason was because of Britain’s impressment of America’s seamen. Britain went on to American ships and captured American sailors claiming they were deserters from the british navy. So, on May 11, 1812 America declared war on britain. Britain’s full attention wasn’t on America during this time because they were also at war with france. In 1814, The british defeated france and brought their full attention to the US and immediately shipped reinforcements to America. (AKA the best soldiers in the world at the time). In Washington, August 1814, the british burned the capital and the white house. Because the british weren’t at war with france anymore they didn’t see a need to seize american ships. This caused the two main reasons of the war to vanish, and now neither side could gain a definitive advantage. On December 24, 1814, Britain and the US ended the war by signing the Treaty of Ghent. Before this news was delivered to those across the Atlantic, Britain and American fought the wars biggest battle of New Orleans. 24,000 American and British soldiers died. After the war, no new lands were gained or lost. The War of 1812 ends on the status quo antebellum which states that none of the harms of objectives that were used to justify the war were solved by it.
I feel as though the war of 1812 was a tie as far as Britain vs. the U.S. but a victory to the U.S., because although we may have lost a few battles and had our white house burned down, we resolve 2 out of 3 main issues that we were fighting about in the first place. I would have considered this a “win” for the United States if all goals were met. It is a tie because no really changes were made; our boarders stayed basically the same (with regards to British land in North America and the lost of land for us), and we maintained our independence without major bloodshed. We were able to stop the impressments of our ships and sailors. However in order to do this we had to put an embargo in place which sent our economy into a downward spiral and only slightly effected Britain and France’s economy which was kind of a letdown for us because we thought that we would be more influence than that. Also we took care of our Indian problem and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and the Battle of Tippecanoe, where we defeated the Indians, by killing the Indian leader Tecumseh and his brother The Prophet. Near the end of the war we were winning more of the battles and then the treaty of Ghent was sign and the war came to an official end, but scents the east coast had not received the new, the bloodiest and possible the most influence battle had occurs. The battle of New Orleans, in this Britain and The United State lose a combined 24,000 lives. And our national anthem was written.