December Third Thursday - Causes of the War of 1812
The bicentennial of the War of 1812 is fast approaching. Have you ever wondered why this war was fought? If so, then come to this dinner-and-discussion and find out if this war could have been avoided.
This interactive session will be on "The Causes of the War of 1812" with Robert Shapiro. Robert received both an AM and a Ph.D degree in History from Harvard and was a teaching fellow in the Harvard Departments of History and General Education. Bring your questions and comments and meet us at the Acorn Club!
Tickets are $30 for members, $35 for non-members, and include a three-course buffet dinner. Coffee and tea are included. A cash bar will be available.
December Third Thursday - Causes of the War of 1812
Thursday, 12/15/11 from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Acorn Club, 1519 Locust Street, Philadelphia
Click here to buy tickets!!!
The Causes of the War of 1812
Today, the causes of the War of 1812 are a mystery to most people - they often have no idea why it was fought. Often called America's "Second War of Independence," it was also called "Mr. Madison's War" by many who opposed it. It had its origins in American resentment over several British actions which questioned the sovereignty of the United States, yet to see this war as a war which finally established America's independence from Great Britain is too simplistic. The disputes between the United States and Great Britain clearly could have been settled simply by diplomatic means but for the election of a dozen members of the Twelfth Congress of the United States (known as the "War Hawks") and a respite in the Napoleonic wars being fought in Europe.
In this talk Robert Shapiro will outline the immediate causes of the war: British restrictions on American trade, British impressment of American seamen, and British military support for American Indians who were resisting American settlement in the Northwest frontier. In addition, Dr. Shapiro will discuss the impact of the American expansionist movement in the nineteenth century on the call for war, as well as the political conflict between the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans which led to the war message which President Madison sent to Congress in June 1812.
Robert Shapiro is an attorney and educator. He holds both an AM and a Ph.D in History from Harvard, and was a teaching fellow in the Harvard History Department and the Department of General Education. He also taught at Tufts University, the University of Hartford, and most recently at Florida Atlantic University. He also has a JD from the Stanford University Law School where he was an editor of The Stanford Law Review.