They only began that process because the U.S. was gleefully accepting British deserters from their navy. Remember Jefferson and many of the Democratic-Republicans were sympathetic with Napoleon. The War of 1812 was the most unpopular war in American history for a reason.
You do believe in individual liberty, right? If someone does not want to be a subject of a king, and wants to join a democratic republic, that is his natural right.
Also, about 3/4th of those impressed (kidnapped) were Americans, not British, which makes it even worse.
The War of 1812 was the most popular war in American history. Easily. Despite James Madison being our only war president in history not to issue war propaganda.
* War hawk (from the 12th congress) John Calhoun started a long 40 year political career, including becoming Vice-president.
* War hawk Henry Clay began a long 40 year political career, including several major party nominations for president.
* Richard Mentor Johnson, another war hawk, was elected vice-president in 1836.
* The National Anthem, not a coincidence, came from the war, and Francis Scott Key is one of our greatest national heroes.
* Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry became the 2nd most celebrated naval hero in American history (next to John Paul Jones). His famous quote "We have met the enemy and they are us" was one of the most celebrated quotes of the 19th century.
* The USS Constitution, aka Old Ironsides, is probably the most famous warship in US history.
* The Federalist Party, which opposed the war, became extinct.
* James Monroe, Secretary of State & Secretary of War, was elected president easily in 1816 and 1820, and was Madison's protege.
* Madison was comfortably re-elected president in 1812, despite the election coming shortly after the worst military portion of the war.
* John Quincy Adams who negotiated the Treay of Ghent was elected president in 1824.
* Hero Andrew Jackson won the popular vote in 1824 and was elected president in 1828 and 1832.
* William Henry Harrison, victorious general, was elected president in 1840. "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" is probably the most famous campaign slogan in US history.
* Zachery Taylor, Madison's 2nd cousin, and a victorious general in the War of 1812 (won the small but key Battle of Ft. Harrison in 1812), was elected president in 1848.
* Winfield Scott, another victorious general from the war, won a major party nomination for president in 1852.
* Another war hawk, Langdon Cheves, became Speaker of the House of Representatives.
* Another war hawk, Felix Gundy, became US Attorney general and a Senator from Tennessee.
* Another war hawk, William Bibb, was elected the 1st Governor of Alabama after the war, but then died a year later.
* Another member of the 12th congress (the war hawk congress), William King of North Carolina, was elected vice-president in 1852.
* Another early supporter of the war, Martin van Buren, was elected president in 1836. In 1812, van Buren was in the New York State Senate.
* John Tyler, who supported the war of 1812 and commanded a small force in it, became president. His idol for small government was James Madison, and he vetoed several bank bills.
* Daniel Tomkins, considered one of the most effective war governers (he was from New York), was elected vice-president in 1816.
* Another Madison appointed official and diplomat during the war, George Dallas, later became Vice-president, and has the city of Dallas, Texas named after him.
* General Henry Dearborn had Dearborn Michigan named after him.
* General Stephen Decatur has 46 communites in the United States named after him.
* Naval Commander James Lawrence's dying words "Don't give up the ship!" became the official slogan of the US navy for over 100 years.
If Madison had denounced the New England opponents & the Hartford Convention of the war as traiters, which they basically were, the war would have been even more popular. Unfortunately, propaganda works. But Madison did not believe in war propaganda. Every war president since, has used it. To regain our American liberty, we need to learn the principles of our Founding Fathers. One princilpe is that war propaganda is not needed to win a war.
It is a liberal and neocon myth that the War of 1812 was unpopular.
Again, compare Madison to the war presidents in this poll, and you will see a very stark difference.
