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An infographic titled The War of 1812 lists information about the causes, the first declaration, and the combatants’ preparedness for war.
A chart with information about the War of 1812 is divided into three sections. Section 1 contains the causes for the war: British interfere with American shipping; British kidnap American sailors; Americans believe British are persuading Native Americans to fight settlers; some members of Congress (War Hawks) want U.S. expansion into Canada. Section 2 states that Congress is divided over the first declaration of war: 62% of the House is in favor, and 38% is opposed; 59% of the Senate is in favor, and 41% is opposed. Section 3 compares the United States and Britain’s preparedness for the War of 1812. The United States had 12,000 troops, 6 warships, 4,000 sailors, and 1,800 marines. Britain had 10,000 British and Canadian troops, 584 warships of which only 2 were available, 140,000 sailors worldwide, and 31,000 marines.
Question
Based on the information in the chart, why might Congress have been divided about declaring war on Britain?
(1 point)
Responses
Members of Congress did not believe the American military could compete with the British military.
Members of Congress did not believe the American military could compete with the British military.
The War Hawks had more supporters in the House of Representatives than in the Senate.
The War Hawks had more supporters in the House of Representatives than in the Senate.
Southern representatives were less concerned about British interference in American shipping.
Southern representatives were less concerned about British interference in American shipping.
Some representatives were not convinced that the rumors about the Native American attacks were true.
Some representatives were not convinced that the rumors about the Native American attacks were true.
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Based on the information in the chart, the most likely reason Congress was divided about declaring war on Britain is because some representatives were not convinced that the rumors about the Native American attacks were true.
Based on the information in the chart, the most likely reason Congress was divided about declaring war on Britain is because members of Congress did not believe the American military could compete with the British military.
To answer this question, we need to analyze the information provided in the chart. According to Section 2 of the chart, Congress was divided over the first declaration of war. In the House of Representatives, 62% were in favor of declaring war while 38% were opposed. In the Senate, 59% were in favor and 41% were opposed.
From this information, we can infer that there were differing opinions among members of Congress about declaring war on Britain. One possible reason for this division could be that some representatives were not convinced that the rumors about the Native American attacks were true.
Therefore, the correct answer is: Some representatives were not convinced that the rumors about the Native American attacks were true.