The Effects of the War of 1812
By late 1814, Americans knew that peace talks had begun, but they did not know if they would succeed or how long they would last. As Jackson was preparing to fight the British at New Orleans, New Englanders were meeting to protest “Mr. Madison’s War.”
New Englanders Protest Economic Instability The British blockade had hurt New England’s sea trade. Also, many New Englanders feared that the United States might win land in Florida and Canada. If new states were carved out of these lands, the South and the West would become more influential than New England.
Delegates from around New England met in Hartford, Connecticut, in December 1814. Most were Federalists. They disliked the Democratic Republican President and the war.
Some delegates to the Hartford Convention threatened to nullify, or cancel, the state of war in their states if the war continued. Others threatened to leave the Union.
Then, while the delegates debated what to do, news of the peace treaty arrived. The Hartford Convention ended quickly. With the war over, the protest was meaningless. In the end, the threat of secession further weakened the dying Federalist party.
The Varied Effects of the War A peace treaty was signed in the city of Ghent, in present-day Belgium, on December 24, 1814. John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams and one of the American delegates, summed up the Treaty of Ghent in one sentence: “Nothing was adjusted, nothing was settled.”
Britain and the United States agreed to restore pre-war conditions. The treaty said nothing about impressment or neutrality. These issues had faded due to the end of the wars in Europe. Other issues were settled later. In 1818, for example, the two nations settled a dispute over the border between Canada and the United States.
Looking back, some Americans felt that the War of 1812 had been a mistake. Others argued that Europe would now treat the young republic with more respect. The victories of heroes like Oliver Hazard Perry, William Henry Harrison, and Andrew Jackson gave Americans new pride in their country. As one Democratic Republican leader remarked, “The people are now more American. They feel and act more as a nation.”
Results QUESTIONS
1. What did the delegates to the Hartford Convention threaten to do? Why?
These men threatened to ________, or cancel, the war effort in their states because...
2. What treaty ended the war? What did it do?
The Treaty of ________ ended the war, and it said that…
3. What was one positive result of the war?
One positive result of the war was...
1. What did the delegates to the Hartford Convention threaten to do? Why?
These men threatened to nullify, or cancel, the war effort in their states because they disliked the Democratic Republican President and the war, and feared that the United States might win land in Florida and Canada.
2. What treaty ended the war? What did it do?
The Treaty of Ghent ended the war, and it said that the two nations would restore pre-war conditions, but said nothing about impressment or neutrality.
3. What was one positive result of the war?
One positive result of the war was that it gave Americans new pride in their country, and made them feel and act more as a nation.