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1812 Dbq

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The American's victory in the Revolutionary war led to the newly granted Independence from Great Britain that the Americans had wanted for quite some time. Many of the settlers were tired of Great Britain controlling them, and being involved in their everyday lives (200-202). They decided to go to war with them. While they went to war, the Americans faced many challenges, one of the biggest challenges was the military. There wasn't a fully prepared army that was ready to go to war. Also many people were recruited into the army (196,215). Militiamen were used in the event of any battles against the British during the war, but militiamen were fully prepared for the effects of war due to lack of proper training. Also military performance varied …show more content…

The Americans fought many battles against the British, while winning some and losing others, they eventually defeated the British. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, that was supposed to bring an end to the war and resolve any other conflicts between the United States and Great Britain (176). But there were still a lot of ongoing issues during the post-revolutionary war period which led to the start of the War of 1812. One of the main causes of this war was the violation of American shipping rights. Great Britain and France placed many economic sanctions against the United States, which caused many American industries to plummet (347,348). The embargo act that Thomas Jefferson passed prohibited any Americans goods to be exported and any ships to leave for any foreign ports …show more content…

British ships tried to launch an attack on Fort McHenry, but failed to capture the land (357). The U.S military performance during the War of 1812 was very similar to that of the Revolutionary war at first, but it improved later on. One of the first battles in the war was the Battle of Tippecanoe. Tecumseh who was the leader for the Indians, fought against Governor Harrison to protect their lands from the Americans. Harrison led his troops to Tecumseh's capital and burned the town down. Tecumseh ended up fleeing to Canada to receive protection from the British (348,349). The military was unprepared and didn't receive much training. Also, Thomas Jefferson who was president during that time believed that a small federal budget and reductions in military spending were not a good way to win the war. The only branch of the military that was well prepared for the war was the navy (350). James Madison launched an attack against the British in Canada because he believed that is where, the military could have led the most effective attacks. Upper Canada was given up by the British after the American Navy took control of Lake Erie (352,353). In the south, a group known as "Red Stick Creeks formed an alliance with Britain, but many of Andrew Jackson's volunteers led an attack against them and won. It became known as the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. One of the last battles was considered to be a humiliation for the Americans, when

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