The War of 1812 The war of 1812, supposedly fought over neutral trading rights, was a very peculiar conflict indeed. Britain's trade restrictions, one of the main causes, were removed two days before the war started; the New Englanders, for whom the war was supposedly fought, opposed it; the most decisive battle, at New Orleans, was fought after the war ended. During the Napoleonic wars, Britain and France had disrupted US shipping, confiscated American goods, taking US …showed first 75 words of 472 total…

…showed last 75 words of 472 total…army did not need the 1812 war; it merely needed people to recognize that Hamilton was right all along. Bloodshed and destruction were totally unnecessary, and America was lucky that Britain was still recovering from the Napoleonic wars. No gains were made in Canada, nor Florida. America held New Orleans, but her capital was ransacked. Perhaps the greatest achievement of the war was to highlight the inherent weakness of both state militia and certain Republican ideas.