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War Of 1812 Dbq Essay

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When the British Burned Down the White House

Today the capital of the United States is one of the most popular destinations among tourists throughout the World. There are many interesting sightseeing places situated in Washington D.C. and one of those places is the White House that is official home and residence of the U.S. President. While enjoying their visit to the President’s House, many Americans along with foreign visitors do not realize that just over two centuries ago the White House was attacked by the British.
The USA was already in war with Britain for half a year at the beginning of 1814. This war was caused by America’s irritation at Britain’s interference in its sovereignty and shipment operations. While U.S navy held a strong …show more content…

In many ways, the War of 1812 was considered as the “...sequel to the earlier war with that nation. [Britain]” (Stagg, 19) Britain tended to argue that America “had become free but not independent” (Stagg, 19). War of 1812 was the first one to end with America being declared as a free nation, the decision that came with a lot of delegation and thought. There are several reasons why America decided to be involved in war with Britain: to “stop British impressment, reopen trade lanes with French, remove the British support from Native American tribes, and to secure their territorial honor and integrity in the face of their old rulers.” (Civilwar.org). Many relationships between America and other countries had been infringed due to Britain cutting off ties between America and its main suppliers, such as France. The United States depended on these countries that were once their alliances, in order to be able to supply the needs of the population. Basically, during the War of 1812 America wanted and needed to prove to Britain that they were an actual and self-sufficient country that could meet its own needs without the help of anyone. However, Britain was putting a damper on their success as a country. Even though wars bring only drawbacks alone, the present day relationship between Britain and the United States would not be anywhere close …show more content…

There were 50 soldiers outside the mansion waiting for the order to burn down the place. The moment they received an order from their Generals, they hurled in torches. The fire completely destroyed the White House and other treasures it held. It was burned to the ground and specialists contemplated moving the capital to another city. Besides President’s residence, there were also other buildings damaged from fire such as War Department and Treasury. However, The President and First Lady were able to return to Washington only three days after the initial raid. After returning to the capital, they lived in the octagon house for the remainder of James Madison’s term. The Octagon House was about one hundred miles away from the White House in Washington D.C. in the City of Richmond County Virginia. During their stay in in Octagon House and the remainder of Madison’s presidency, the White House was reconstructed. After reconstruction, newly elected President James Monroe moved back into the reconstructed building once the election of 1816 was

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