| Publication |
2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
This is an excellent book about a relatively unknown war. Perhaps only the Mexican War (1846-48) is less known to Americans. The War of 1812 was America's first declared war, one that neither side really wanted and that resulted in a military draw. Beginning with the introduction, George Daughan, a istinguished academician and recipient of the 2008 Samuel Eliot Morison Award, has created a work that is almost the equivalent of an exciting novel. The first three chapters provide a clear understanding of the relationship between the United States and Great Britain in the years following the Revolution. The political scene in America is also examined to show the deep differences that existed between the Federalists in the north, particularly in New England, and the Republican interests. These differences were to persist throughout most of the war. From the earliest days of the nation, the Federalists held that a positive relationship with England was of benefit to the United States given, among other things, a common language and an established history of trade. Southern leaders, including Thomas Jefferson, were hostile toward Great Britain and highly sympathetic to France and its perceived democratic ideals.
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