Feuding on the War of 1812.

• Author: Zick, William J.
• Position: Directory

Living in southeastern Michigan, I have often taken advantage of the many attractions of Windsor and southwestern Ontario. I was pleased to see the April 2000 issue's article on Windsor, but I was astounded by Joan Carter's explanation of the causes of the War of 1812.

According to Ms. Carter, the U.S. declared war against Britain because "American war hawks" wanted Upper Canada's agricultural land, and also wanted to expel Britain from North America. The U.S. finally went to war after many years of mistreatment by Britain. Hundreds of U.S. ships had been seized by Britain, and an estimated six thousand U.S. sailors had been impressed by the Royal Navy.

The War of 1812 was in many ways a "Second American Revolution," fought to secure those national rights that Britain had failed to honor after independence. It was not a war to conquer...