I guess the British just couldn't help but try to control Americans, even after being defeated 30-odd years before. Those guys were arrogant! After all, they were used to being world leaders for about a million years, and didn't want to let America step up to the plate. Some things that lead to this war was a requirement of a special license to trade with France (although France tried the same thing, to stop trade with Britain). The U.K. also restricted American expansion, but probably most heinous of all, would attack American ships, and take seamen aboard their ships, and force them to work on British ships, essentially making them slaves. In your opinion, why is this war overlooked compared to other American historical wars?
It wasn't overlooked when I went to school. My favorite story about the Battle of New Orleans concerns Wade Hampton, either the second ( which I remember) or the first, There were three, father, son, and grandson). After the battle he wqas dispatched to Washington, a trip which took 3 days. He rode his horse the entire way, but his valet required 3 horses, I should mention that a personal slave of such a wealthy and powerful person would only ride top-notch horses. The horse of Wade Hampton is one of the most important blood-line horses in America. Does anyone remember this horses name?
I think that one of the reasons it's "overlooked" as you put it. Is that fewer people took part and therefore the butchers bill was smaller than say the Civil War. As for the British attacking American ships and taking the American crew as "slaves" as you put it. The American "slaves" worked under the exact same conditions as the British crew, but yes it was close to slavery. Taking a crew in the manner you describe was called Press Ganged. The British justification for the Press Ganging of Americans was that the British considered them rebels, they didn't recognize American sovereignty.....Secretly we still don't☺ I'm British.
The above reference to making the kidnapped American sailors essentially slaves has more to do with the fact that they were kidnapped and forced to work where the did not want to work.Even easy work is slavery if you are forced to do it.
I wasn't trying to justify it, I was indicating how the British seen it in those days. We always have to be careful to not judge 18th and 19th century people by 21st century standards.
I think it wasn't in school that much because it wasn't that big of a war. It didn't really change the outcome of anything. America was still America once it was all said and done.
