Causes... -Napoleonic Wars: The Napoleonic Wars pitted the French Empire against other European powers, including Britain and Spain. With Britain focused on fighting France in Europe, the Americans saw an opportunity to gain control of North America. - Impressment (the act of forcing individuals to serve in the military with no notice) was viewed as an offence to national pride and the personal freedom of Americans. Americans were sometimes forced into service in the British navy. -There were restrictions on trade due to economical control strategies by Britain. America was affected by this trading or lack thereof -Americans thought that Upper and Lower Canada were provide weapons to First Nations resisting American settlement.
Americans were very confident that they would win. Didn't think the people of Upper and Lower Canada would stand up to them.
-Fought on land and water. US at a disadvantage at sea. Britain had one of the largest and most impressive naval forces in the world. So they focused on the colonies in Canada.
Brock, a British military commander, believed that the only way Upper Canada could defend itself from an American invasion was to control Michilimackinac, an island in present-day Michigan. (This was a location of a battle between First Nation and British in 1763). Thought controlling the island meant controlling Upper Great Lakes. He was correct. 400 First Nations, 200 fur traders, and 46 British Officers gathered together as a show of British force. When the Americans reached the island they were offered a chance to surrender and did. Most of the battles took place in Upper Canada.
-When Napoleonic Wars ended in 1814, more British resources became available to help fight the War of 1812. It also brought an end to impressment and restrictions on trading. With the US's hope of winning fading away, the US began to look for ways to end the war.
