The origins of the War of 1812 (1812-1815), between the United States and the British Empire and its First Nation allies, have been long debated. There were multiple factors that caused the US declaration of war on Britain:[1]
A series of trade restrictions introduced by Britain to impede American trade with France with which Britain was at war (the US contested the restrictions as illegal under international law).[2] The impressment (forced recruitment) of seamen on US vessels into the Royal Navy (the British claimed that they were British deserters). The British military support for American Indians who were offering armed resistance to the expansion of the American frontier to the Northwest Territory. A possible desire by the US to annex some or all of Canada.[3] Implicit but powerful was a US motivation and desire to uphold national honor in the face of what they considered to be British insults, such as the
