Joe's Daily U.S. History Lesson -- June 18

JUNE 18 -- 1812 War of 1812 begins; 1912 Taft and Roosevelt split parties

JUNE 18 1812 – The War of 1812 begins. One of the more obscure American wars, many Americans are only familiar with the fact that the British sacked the White House, Andrew Jackson was involved in the south, and about the Battle of New Orleans.

The British considered the war very annoying just like President James Madison, and the only reason they had to slap the Americans at the time was because of events that led after Napoleon went into Moscow due to the fact that the British and French were still at war.

The War of 1812 did not have a big hero like George Washington, Woodrow Wilson or FDR. It didn’t have any great single commanders like George Washington, Ulysses Grant, or Dwight Eisenhower. The way the British see it, Americans stabbed Great Britain in the back by trying unsuccessfully to invade Canada.

America declared war against Great Britain for several reasons, including trade restrictions brought about by the British war with France, the impressments of American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, British support of Indian tribes against American expansion, outrage over insults to national honor after humiliations on the high seas. Oh yeah, and American expansion into Canada.

After President Madison proclaimed the state of war to be in effect, American forces launched a three-point invasion of Canada, and none of them were successful. In 18141, with Napoleon’s French Empire collapsing, the British were able to allocate more military resources to the American war, and Washington DC fell to the British in August. In September, the tide of the war turned when Thomas Macdonough’s American naval force won a decisive victory at the Battle of Plattsburg Bay on Lake Champlain. The invading British army was forced to retreat back tint Canada.

The American victory on Lake Champlain led to the conclusion of US-British peace negotiations in Belgium, and on December 24 1814 the Treaty oaf Ghent was signed, formally ending the War or 1812. By the terms of the agreement, all conquered territory was to be returned, and a commission would be established to settle the boundary of the US and Canada.

1912 -- The Chicago national Republican Convention splits …between President Taft and Theodore Roosevelt; after Taft is nominated, Roosevelt and progressive elements of the party form the Progressive Party.

Speaking of Taft, Happy anniversary William and Nelle! They were married in Cincinnati in 1886. Helen Nellie Herron was quite a politically charged woman and is credited for pushing her husband into pursuing politics. She cultivated a friendship with Teddy Roosevelt and his family, and in 1904 Taft became President Teddy Roosevelt’s secretary of war.

Four years later, Rough N Ready Roosevelt selected the Sleeping Beauty Taft was given the job for the White House., bringing us back to the Progressive party, otherwise known as the Bull Moose party.

After Taft, aka the Big Lub became president; Teddy didn’t much care for his overly conservative policies, especially when Taft used the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up US Steel. Taft had full support of the Republican Party, so Roosevelt established the Progressive party.

The main platform was reversing the domination of politics by business interests, or crony capitalism. The platform called for strict limits and disclosure requirements on political campaign contributions, registration of lobbyists, and recording and publication of Congressional committee proceedings, as well as a number of political and social reforms. By the 1930s, many of the Progressives joined the New Deal Democratic Party coalition of FDR.