hough the War of 1812 was dubbed “Mr. Madison’s War,” his role in the prosecution of the war was relatively ineffectual. Elected in 1808, President James Madison was intimately familiar with the ongoing diplomatic and trade conflicts with Britain. As Secretary of State under President Jefferson, he was the principal architect of the “restrictive system” of trade embargos designed to force Britain to relax its control of Atlantic trade. Madison’s support of this failed system lasted well into the war itself.
Madison’s attempts to resolve disagreements with Britain peacefully was viewed by some in his own Republican party as a sign of weakness. A group of pro-war Republicans, led by Speaker of the House Henry Clay, argued that military force was the only option left to combat British imperiousness. These “War Hawks” were not a majority of the party, but over time, their influence acted on more skeptical party members.
President Madison eventually did bring a declaration of war to Congress, but his leadership in planning for war was mostly absent. Republican ideology was intensely skeptical of the concept of a national standing army, preferring to rely on state militias, and the Madison administration, following in the footsteps of Jefferson, did much to starve national military forces of men and material support. His influence on Congress was minimal, and in retrospect, it is hard to understand how he, or the War Hawks for that matter, felt that the United States had the necessary military resources to prosecute a war on multiple fronts.
In June 1812, the United States declared war against Great Britain in reaction to three issues: the British economic blockade of France, the induction of thousands of neutral American seamen into the British Royal Navy against their will, and the British support of hostile Indian tribes along the Great Lakes frontier. A faction of Congress, made up mostly of western and southern congressmen, had been advocating the declaration of war for several years. These “War Hawks,” as they were known, hoped that war with Britain, which was preoccupied with its struggle against Napoleonic France, would result in U.S. territorial gains in Canada and British-protected Florida.
It was a British parliamentary provision that required colonial authorities to supply food, drink, lodging, fuel, and transportation to British forces stationed in the colony's towns and villages during the colonial period
Geographic features that isolated Ancient China were the Himalayas, Takla Makan, and the Gobi Desert.
Explanation:
Ancient China was one of the most developed civilizations in the world, and in numerous periods it was far ahead than any other civilization. Unlike the other civilizations though, which were in constant contact with each other and exchanging knowledge and technology, China was not like that, which makes its development even more impressive.
China was actually isolated, both from the geographical features and because of its own policies. The geography played a very big role, and it was what helped the isolationist policy. The major geographic features that were isolating Ancient China were:
- Himalayan Mountain Range (the biggest and highest in the world)
- Takla Makan (very harsh, vast desert)
- Gobi Desert (massive, rocky, cold desert)
