The War of 1812

The United States emerged from the American Revolution still entangled in old world politics. In particular, America faced all the trade restrictions of the British Navigation Acts. The result: in 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain, and proceeded to invade Canada, one of Britains possessions. But the invasion failed. In the war that ensued, British troops entered Washington, D.C. and burned the White House to the ground. The peace treaty of 1814 established the border between the United States and Canada the longest mutually disarmed border in the world. Some historians have called the War of 1812 Americas most unpopular war. America born from a commitment to liberty and equality seemed to betray its heritage. The War of 1812 relied on conscription, a soaring tariff, and war taxes. Before the war, the national debt had been cut in half to $45 million; now it rose to $127 million. Moreover, the War of 1812 had an ominous impact; a single political party assumed almost unchallenged power. Other historians have observed that America fought Britain the worlds foremost commercial and military power to a negotiated settlement. This, they claim, meant that America had won the war.