How did the War of 1812 begin? Why did we fight it? Was it worth fighting?
These are questions that people have asked ever since the war happened. These questions are not new, and people will continue to ask them for generations. But this audiobook is the best introduction to this subject that I have ever heard (or expect to hear). In particular, it explores the causes behind this controversial War of 1812. This is a complicated subject, but they help to make it a bit more understandable in their two and a half hours of presentation. The war has roots going back to the previous war, which was the American Revolution.
(Note: The picture above is somewhat inaccurate, as it shows images from the later Civil War, rather than the War of 1812.)
People remember the American Revolution as a war between Britain and the future United States. But it was also a war between Britain and France. During that war, France provided the American rebels with money, weapons, and even military assistance. We were allied with them for a time, and depended upon the power of the French military to keep the British busy in other parts of the world. In particular, the French Navy kept the Royal Navy busy. But this wasn’t the first time that Britain and France had collided, and it would not be the last. The French had recently collided with Britain during the Seven Years’ War, better known to Americans as the “French and Indian War.” Unfortunately, their conflict would continue after the surrender at Yorktown had ended the American Revolution – or the “American War of Independence,” as it is known to the British.
Scene from the Great Siege of Gibraltar (during American Revolution), which lasted for more than three years
There was a temporary peace between the two superpowers after the 1783 Treaty of Paris. But when an angry French mob stormed the Bastille in 1789, the French Revolution began in earnest. It was then that the next round of their conflict would begin. The French Revolution led to an international conflict, now known as the “French Revolutionary Wars.” Britain would soon enter this conflict, and do battle with their ancient French enemy once again.
Storming of the Bastille, 1789
So what was happening to the United States during all of this? The French Navy was harassing American shipping, during the presidency of John Adams. This conflict is sometimes known as the “Quasi-War.” It has this name because it was not a full-scale war, but a series of smaller confrontations on the high seas. John Adams gave some minimal resistance to the French, but did not want to become embroiled in a full-scale war with them, since we could not have withstood such a war at that time (and no longer want to do so today). He later said that he wanted his tombstone simply to say “John Adams: He kept the peace with France” (or words to that effect). When Napoleon Bonaparte came to power in France, he had no interest in continuing this “Quasi-War” with America, since he was busy fighting the British (and other powers) in Europe. Thus, a peace treaty between them was hurriedly signed, and a full-scale war was averted.
Naval engagement in the Quasi-War
With Napoleon came the Napoleonic Wars, and a renewed round of conflicts between Britain and France. America no longer had to worry about conflicts with France, but they now had to worry about conflicts with Britain instead. Specifically, Britain was harassing American naval vessels on the high seas. Most provocative was the British policy of “impressment,” where American sailors were forced into the Royal Navy. The British defended this policy on the grounds that it helped them to fight Napoleon in Europe. But Americans were not happy about these policies, as you might expect. Many wanted to go to war with Britain, but the new president (Thomas Jefferson) would not have it. Thus, he signed the Embargo Act of 1807, ending all importations from Europe – or elsewhere, for that matter. This act was designed to “secure American neutrality” (to paraphrase what they said), and keep America out of the ongoing struggle between Britain and France. But the embargo was a disaster for the United States, as it punished Americans more than it punished anyone else. When James Madison became the new president, he and the Congress finally retaliated over the British impressment policies. Thus the War of 1812 formally and finally began, and America went to war with Britain for the second time.
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, 1807
It’s fair to say that the War of 1812 was the result of all of this, particularly the Napoleonic Wars. Indeed, it is often considered to be just the “North American theater” of the Napoleonic Wars. I had heard most of this before I ever listened to this audiobook, but admired its elegant summary of the international context in which the war happened. They helped me to understand why the war was fought, and how the War of 1812 really was a “Second American War of Independence” (as it is sometimes called today).
They give coverage of how the war progressed as well, and their coverage rivals that of PBS in this regard. PBS’s program about the War of 1812 was only two hours long, whereas this audiobook is a full two and a half hours long – longer than any other source that I’ve heard about it. They’re good at covering the battles themselves, but their greatest strength is in their coverage of the war’s causes, and the reasons that Americans again went to war with Britain.
Burning of Washington DC, 1814
I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who wants to learn about the War of 1812. With the narration of George C. Scott, you can’t go wrong, and will learn much about this long-ago conflict from the nineteenth century.
If you liked this post, you might also like:
Part of an audiobook series
The United States at War
The War of 1812 (technically 1812-1815)
Others to be covered later
See also the audiobook series
The United States Constitution
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