What was the war of 1812 fought over?
The basic causes of the War of 1812 were economic, commercial, territorial, and part bluff. A group in Congress lead by Henry Clay, known as the “War Hawks” wanted to invade Canada and make it part of the United States. The War Hawks were supported in the West and South. Because of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, our commercial rights as a neutral on the high seas were being infringed upon by France and England. Great Britain also practiced the policy of impressment, stopping American ships and claiming that some sailors were British deserters from the British navy and forcing them to serve on British war ships. Impressment had been a policy of Great Britain for a long time. The New England states did not support the War because because they would lose money and trade. Mostly Jeffersonians and agriculture interests supported the commercial reasons for the war. Southern agriculture suffered from the British policies more so than the Eastern merchants. Some westerners also believed that t
