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=== __THE WAR OF 1812: THE DEBATE BETWEEN WAR HAWKS & FEDERALISTS. __ By: Austen Murdock, Robert Cox , DeTerrion Brooks , & Gregory West. === ====﻿**﻿How it Began: ** ====
 * The war formally began on June 18, 1812 with the U.S. declaration of war. The United States launched invasions of Britain's North American colonies in 1812 and 1813, but the borders were successfully defended by British and North American Indian forces. The United States gained the upper hand in the North American Indian part of war with victories at the Battle of the Thames in October 1813 and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in March 1814, but, by this time, the United Kingdom had successfully concluded the Napoleonic wars and the British were finally able to divert more resources to North America. British invasions of American territory resulted in the burning of Washington, D.C. and the capture of part of the District of Maine, but the British counteroffensive was turned back at Lake Champlain, Baltimore, and New Orleans. **

Who Won:

 * There is much debate as to who won and lost the War of 1812. While most believe that the British won and the United States lost the war, there is even debate among those who answered this question. Below are the full arguments on both sides. **

The War Hawks:

 * The War Hawks were a coterie of about twenty Democratic Republicans who persuaded Congress into supporting a declaration of war against Britain. **
 * They were united by outrage regarding the British practice of impressment (or abduction) of American sailors, and the British Orders in Council which were crippling the American economy. **


 * The War Hawks were fed up with the plodding diplomatic tactics of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. They were convinced that a declaration of war was the only honourable response to these repeated violations. **


 * The new Congress met for the first time in 1811. Before long, a handful of War Hawks took over key positions which gave them considerable influence on the course of congressional debate, as well as ready access to the government's coffers. **


 * From November 1811 to June 1812, the War Hawks argued for war and the requisite financial and military preparations. Most congressmen were opposed to war, but many voted for increased military spending and an expanded militia. They were confident that Britain would yield to U.S. demands if it saw that America was seriously considering military action. **


 * Ultimately, the War Hawks were able to convince the majority of congressmen to vote in favour of this "second struggle for liberty". Although many members bickered over insignificant details (like whether or not to increase the U.S. navy), they tended to agree that it wasn't realistic to expect a peaceful and diplomatic conclusion to the ongoing conflict with Britain. **

** __The Federalists__: **

 * The Federalists opposed the war for several specific reasons. For one thing, they saw it as a party war designed to further the interests of Republicans and to silence the opposition ~n a view that was reinforced by the Baltimore Riots in 1812 and the refusal of the administration to accept Federalists into the Cabinet in1814. **


 * The Federalists also feared that the war would throw the nation into the arms of Napoleon, who was variously described as "the great destroyer," "the little tyrant," the "monster of human depravity," and "the arch-fiend who has long been the curse and scourge of the European World." **


 * Even after the danger of a French alliance had receded, Federalists continued to oppose the war because they considered it an "offensive" war aimed at Canada. **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Even if the invasion of Canada had succeeded, Federalists were convinced that the war would do more harm than good. "Whether we consider our agriculture, our commerce, our moneyed systems, or our internal safety," declared the Alexandria Gazette, "nothing but disaster can result from it." Nor did the Federalists expect the nation to win any concessions from the enemy, certainly not on an issue as vital as impressment. They believed it to be of a temporary nature that would be terminated when the tyrant Napoleon was defeated. "No war of any duration," said James A. Bayard of Delaware, the Federalist minority leader in Congress, "will ever extort this concession." **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Federalists saw the war as a costly, futile, and partisan venture that was likely to produce little good and much evil. The best way to bring the conflict to an end, most Federalists agreed, was to oppose it. **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The Federalists fell apart after the War of 1812 because of the Hartford Convention. The Hartford Convention was the onventio in which there was the idea that the New England States would leave the United States. Congress was not very happy with this and o the Federalists very quickly started dissappearing. **

** __Facts__: **

 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In return the British marchedon to Washington D.C. They burned the White House, Capitol Building, and other buildings. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The British built a huge bonfire out of the furniture takrn from the White House. President Madison and his wife Dolly barely had enough time to get out of the city. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The British next moved to take Ft. McHenry near Baltimore. They bombarded the fort with cannonballs fired from the land andd nearby ships. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Aboard a British flagship, an American POW, Dr, Beans. A friend of his, Francis Scott Key, rowed out to the British ships. he asked the commander id he would let beans go, the commander agreed but said they must remain aboard untill morning. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Francis Scott Key did not sleep that night as the British guns pounded Ft. McHenry. From the deck of the warship he could see the flash of guns firing away. Could the Americans hold out? During the night, Francis Scott Key asked himself that question many times. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The night gave way to dawn. Key peered through the haze and smoke. When the air cleared, he saw the stars and stripes were still there. The British had failed to capture Ft. McHenry. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Key wrote down his experience in a poem. It was later set to music and is now known as our “Star-Spangled Banner.” **

**<span style="color: #0016ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__Affects of the War__: **

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Positive: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1. 2 future presidents **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">2. Positive national identity **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">3. War Hawks in Congress (good or bad?) **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Negative: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1. Military Incompetence **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">2. Internal Dissent **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">3. No real issues addressed in peace treaty **

**<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Video: **
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