Question

To what degree was the War of 1812 truly a Second War for Independence? Consider the battles, the politics, and the peace settlement. Compare it with the Revolutionary War.

Answer 1

Answer: The War of 1812 was at the time often denominated a "second war of independence," as it marked the second time the U.S. had rebelled against presumed British tyranny. Even though the U.S. did not achieve its objectives in the war (impressment, the very issue on which the war was fought, was not mentioned in the Treaty of Ghent) there was a surge of nationalism and a common belief that the image of the U.S. government had been enhanced by the war. Since American industry was suddenly exposed once more to cheap foreign goods following the end of the war, the Tariff of 1816, the first designed to protect American Industry, was passed by Congress. It is doubtful that American industry would have progressed as rapidly were it not for the Embargo and the War.

Explanation: