Era of Good Feelings
between the American naval frigate Chesapeake and a British ship, the Leopard. In June 1807 the Leopards crew demanded to board and search the Chesapeake only a few miles off the American coast and for British deserters. The Chesapeake’s commander, James Barron, refused, and the Leopard opened fire. American sailors were killed and wounded during the attack, and the Chesapeake surrendered. The British then sent a party aboard and dragged four sailors from the ship. After the attack, Jefferson ordered British warships to leave American waters and demanded them to stop the impressment of American sailors. The British did make some apologies and restitution for the Chesapeake-Leopard incident, but continued to claim the right to seize American ships and inspect them for deserters. (War of 1812)
Despite the problems, the U.S. Navy finally won some fights at sea, making up for some of the loses on land. A strong American squadron under Commodore John Rodgers made a sweep through the Atlantic ocean after the declaration of war. They only found one enemy ship, which escaped, but later in the year three U.S. warships were more successful.
The War of 1812 was a victory. On February 20 President Madison sent a message to Congress about the treaty of peace. He congratulated the nation for the end of the war "waged with the success which is the natural result of the wisdom of the legislative councils, of the patriotism of the people, of the public spirit of the militia, and of the valor of the military and naval forces of the country."
The Battle of New Orleans was fought after the two sides signed the peace treaty, it was the war’s most famous battle. The navy was popular for many years after the battle, but the outcome of the Battle of Lake Champlain did not get recognized for another generation.
The principal gain for the United States was a renewed self-confidence and faith in the ability of its military to defend the nation’s freedom and honor. (In the Midst of Perpetual Fetes: The Making of American Nationalism,) Although no one came away from the war victorious, America saw the War of 1812 as the success of the democracy. The War of 1812 proved to the country that it could now protect itself from foreign threats
Many people felt a good about the country at this time. They had fought against one of the strongest empires of Europe and pretty much defeated them. They did not win, but they did not lose either. They had enough energy to get the job done, then afterwards they did not try to build a better military to start in another conflict. Nothing had been lost, but nationalism had been gained. Americans saw this time as a time for their economy to grow, and to build their own empire.
But our country showed something that was never seen before, unity. This was the first war that everyone had fought as an American. They were the first generation after the revolution that had never seen [next page]