Its replacement, the Non-Intercourse Act, specifically prohibited trade with Britain and France. Congress repealed Thomas Jefferson’s unpopular Embargo Act, which by restricting trade had hurt Americans more than either Britain or France. merchant vessels and forcing them to serve on behalf of the British. The Royal Navy also outraged Americans by its practice of impressment, or removing seamen from U.S. In 1807, Britain passed the Orders in Council, which required neutral countries to obtain a license from its authorities before trading with France or French colonies. In an attempt to cut off supplies from reaching the enemy, both sides attempted to block the United States from trading with the other. Nonetheless, many in the United States celebrated the War of 1812 as a “second war of independence,” beginning an era of partisan agreement and national pride.Īt the outset of the 19th century, Great Britain was locked in a long and bitter conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte’s France. The ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 17, 1815, ended the war but left many of the most contentious questions unresolved.

Nonetheless, American troops were able to repulse British invasions in New York, Baltimore and New Orleans, boosting national confidence and fostering a new spirit of patriotism. The United States suffered many costly defeats at the hands of British, Canadian and Native American troops over the course of the War of 1812, including the capture and burning of the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., in August 1814. trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S.

In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country’s future.

Us navy in war of 1812