¶ … War of 1812. There are six references used for this paper.
There have been a number of battles fought by the United States over the years. It is important to examine the War of 1812 and determine the major weaknesses in the United States National structure, and how these weaknesses were later addressed by the Republican Nationalists.
British Occupation
The United States Government's weaknesses became in apparent when "following the Revolutionary war, the British refused to leave their posts in an effort to preserve both the flourishing fur trade and the improving relations with the Native American, (www.graves.k12.ky.us/schools/GCHS/bleonard/unit%20three%20study%2.)."
The British occupation led to the War of 1812, however the country was divided on whether to fight the war or not. "The declaration of war had been made with military preparations still far from complete. There were fewer than 7,000 regular soldiers, distributed in widely scattered posts along the coast, near the Canadian border and in the remote interior. These soldiers were to be supported by the undisciplined militia of the states (www.usemb.se/usis/history/chapter4.html)." The lack of militia skill was evident when an invasion of Canada failed, resulting in Detroit being taken by the British. The failures of the militia were soon replaced with victories by U.S. Navy, restoring the confidence of the troops, and eventually resulting in Detroit being recaptured by the United States.
Identifying Weaknesses
Prior to the War of 1812, the viewpoint of the military had become one of disdain. Militia training "was 'mostly a farce, nothing but an exhibition of rags, caps, and broomsticks,' a United States senator from Rhode Island observed. It was merely 'mock military duty,' and an excuse for 'riot, drunkenness, and every species of immorality, which the pageant boobies, called officers had neither intelligence...
"On thousands of miles of coastline there was scarcely a fort to oppose the enemy. British troops pillaged and burned the city of Washington and laid waste to many sections along the Middle Atlantic States (Lattimore)."
During the elections prior to the War of 1812, "two competing national parties emerged who regarded themselves as divided over basic principles. The Republicans, led by
Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison, viewed the pro-British Federalists as monarchists; the Federalists, led by
Alexander Hamilton and
John Adams and favored by Washington, viewed the pro-French Republicans as Jacobins (Plattner)."
The Federalists "claimed that the war was ruining the country, and some delegates to the Hartford Convention advocated secession from the Union, but the majority agreed on a series of
constitutional amendments to limit Republican influence. By the time messengers from the convention reached Washington, D.C., however, they found the war had ended, stamping the Federalists with a
stigma of disloyalty from which they never recovered (www.usemb.se/usis/history/chapter4.html)."
Rectifying the Weaknesses
The War of 1812 "persuaded the national government to turn decisively toward dependence on a professional
army (Lears)." The "humiliating and tragic…
