War Of 1812
The War of 1812 was a conflict between the nations of Great Britain
and
The United States. This was a war fought over the rights of
non-combatant,
neutral nations. Issues of this conflict included impressment,
rights to limit
the navigation of soverign nations, and how a nation could
cope if these rights
were violated. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s there
were a series of
conflicts between Great Britain and France. Both of these
countries trampled the
rights of non-combatants during the conflict. For
example, Britain forbade any
American ship to sail to a port in the
Napolianic Empire. Likewise, the French
government reciprocated with similar
laws against ports within the British
Empire. Due to very harsh
conditions on those serving in the British Naval
Service, many men
deserted. This forced the British to turn to the practice of
impressment.
This is a process by which the British effectively abducted
servicemen to
fill their ranks. The British argument was that many of their men
deserted
and began serving in the American Merchant Marine. This, in their
opinion,
justified them in boarding American ships, and abducting their crew. At
one
point, British impressment led to the Chesepeak Incident. During
this
incident, when the American frigate refused to be boarded, it was fired
apon. In
order to deal with these maters, the American authorities tried
several peaceful
interventions. In order to prevent confrontations, the
Embargo and
Non-Intercourse Acts were passed. These acts were in
accordence with both
British and French wishes. However through all of
these steps, the disrespect of
American soverignty continued. After
exhusting all peacful options, the
Americans entered the War of 1812 with
great hopes for a successful
outcome.