| Description |
During the first thirty-odd-years of the young nation’s independent existence, despite the fact that it had political freedom, the USA found itself most unpleasantly and generally quite inextricably involved in Old World affairs. The Young USA was snubbed first and then bullied by England; it was treated patronizingly and then double crossed by France; for a time it was pushed around by Spain and even bedeviled by the tiny Barbary states of North Africa. These were painful, exasperating, humiliating years. More and more it became painfully evident to the Young USA that there are times in international life when war becomes the only alternative to national dishonor and humiliation. The choice of the adversary, which might have been France quite as much as Britain, was in large measure resolved by pressures from the West. The “war hawks” wanted to fight England in order to have a chance to settle old scores and justification for taking Canada. The War of 1812 was not exactly a glorious venture. Poorly prepared and her armies badly led, the young nation was lucky to come out of it unscathed. Nothing was lost, but nothing was really settled.
|
