The Causes of the War of 1812 - Essay Example

At the same time, the Royal Navy which was the naval force of the British Empire needed men and hence they resorted to force and they took people from the American ships to work for them forcefully. Another reason was the siding of the British people with the Indian Americans who were against the American government. These reasons served as a push for the Americans to opt for war against the British Empire. President Madison called for a congressional vote and it was seen that the Federalists were against the opinion of engaging in war whereas it was supported by the Republicans.

This led to victory for the option of fighting and America declared war against the British Empire. Federalists believed that the war was politically motivated and it would not bring any benefit for the United States. The war indicated the tensions that already existed between the British Empire and the United States after the Treaty of Paris in the year 1783. Following this treaty, the British Empire was of the opinion that the treaty was more in benefit of the United States and they had received greater lands.

Also, the trade of the United States started to flourish bringing forward competition for the British Empire. The next tension was that between the Indian Americans and the government of the United States. The Indians wanted independence and they were being helped by the British. Hence there were internal and external tensions for the United States and these ongoing tensions resulted in the War of 1812 (Benn 2002; Heidler et al 2002).