U. S. Objectives of the War of 1812 were as follows:
• Get the British to repeal their Orders in Council, which placed severe trade restrictions on the Americans. (In fact, the Orders had been repealed before war was declared, but word did not get to America in time to stop the process.)
• Get the British to stop the impressment of American sailors into the Royal Navy.
• Assert Americans' rights to freedom of the seas. fSee Madison's War Message to Congress in the Appendix.)
Despite early optimism, American war efforts were marred by poor preparation and management, ineffective leadership, and an ill-designed strategy. Americans expected victory even though they were unprepared. President Madison had problems with his administration of the war that were beyond his control. By the end of the war, however, the Americans were getting their house in order. In New England, where the Federalists were still strong, people refused to take an active part in the war effort. Great Britain was in a state of turmoil politically, which helped bring the war about and contributed the British involvement. King George III was by then totally insane, and the Prime minister (Spencer Percival) had been killed. Preoccupied with Napoleon, Great Britain appeared ineffective in executing offensive operations, which was fortunate for the Americans.
In the end, America probably gained more than it lost from the war. If nothing else, the conduct of the war left powerful lessons: Wars should not be entered into lightly or for the wrong reasons; it is best to be prepared for war before the fighting begins rather than having to improvise once hostilities have actually begun. The latter lesson is one Americans have had to "learn" several times.
THE HARTFORD CONVENTION: Further Hints of Secession
Resentment felt by New Englanders over Jefferson's Embargo grew during the Madison administration; the so-called "Essex Junto" was still alive and kicking, though the actual membership had changed with time. When the war seemed to be going badly for the United States, a group of Federalists met in Hartford, Connecticut, in December 1814. They recommended changes in the Constitution that would have lessened the power of the South and the West. Many New Englanders were more than disenchanted with what they viewed as the "Virginia Dynasty." (With the exception of the single term of John Adams, only Virginians had occupied the office of president since 1789.) Fortunately, more moderate voices prevailed; talk of secession and a Northern confederacy gained no traction. The Convention did, however propose several constitutional amendments:
• Abolish the 3/5 Compromise (Reduce Southern power in Congress.)
• Require 2/3 of the Senate approval to declare war. (One third of the states could then veto a war declaration.)
• Place a 60-day limit on any trade embargo.
• Permit presidents to serve only one term.
• Do not allow a president to succeed another president from the same state. (Prevent another "Virginia dynasty.")
Unfortunately for the Federalists, they met on the eve of the conclusion of peace. Their proposal arrived in Washington more or less simultaneously with news of the Ghent Treaty and the victory at New Orleans. After those events, the Convention's demands seemed irrelevant and disloyal. The proposed amendments never went anywhere, and the Federalist Party never recovered from the Hartford Convention. In the end, the Treaty of Ghent discredited the Federalists and killed their party.
World History
