The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies, by Alan Taylor, is a unique book about the War of 1812. Taylor shows how the war was more about the impressment of American sailors by the British; it was a cultural battle over what it meant to be a citizen of the American Republic, and a British subject. For in 1812, this question was far from settled, particularly along the northern front, which is the sole area Taylor covers. In this border region, alliances frequently shifted among all the groups in Taylor’s subtitle.
Taylor makes an interesting point about the outcome of the War of 1812. Mostly categorized as a draw, with both sized gaining nothing, it was really, Taylor asserts, the United States that won. American nationalism surged after the war; it was less of a floppy concept. Westward expansion increased (at the cost of Britain’s Indian allies) and Great Britain never become a dominant force in North America. Canada would become and remain the smaller and less dynamic cousin of its neighbor to the south.
The United States did not conquer Canada in the War of 1812, but it hardly mattered. But northern expansion would not have given the US much. The stage had been set for Manifest Destiny and West.
Taylor makes an interesting point about the outcome of the War of 1812. Mostly categorized as a draw, with both sized gaining nothing, it was really, Taylor asserts, the United States that won. American nationalism surged after the war; it was less of a floppy concept. Westward expansion increased (at the cost of Britain’s Indian allies) and Great Britain never become a dominant force in North America. Canada would become and remain the smaller and less dynamic cousin of its neighbor to the south.
The United States did not conquer Canada in the War of 1812, but it hardly mattered. But northern expansion would not have given the US much. The stage had been set for Manifest Destiny and West.
No comments:
Post a Comment