Chapter 8: America at War and Peace

           My focus of the night was the War of 1812 and how the war influenced American domestic politics. While reading about the War of 1812 I was sort of surprised that the United States attempted to take over Canada. At this point in time British had control of Canada and their armed forces were a lot stronger than that of the United States. Therefore I would have assumed that the America would have tried to avoid any confrontation with the British. If the United States really wanted to expand they could’ve have tried to take over the land from the weaker countries like France and Spain. I found it humorous when I read about how the British offense arrived at Bladensburg, Maryland expecting a battle but instead found that the American troop had just fled. If the United States really wanted to show the Britain that our military is up to par then we shouldn’t be running away when they come to battle us. The only good thing about the United States not putting up a fight was that they got a treaty out of it and nothing was gain or loss.

            While reading the rest of the chapters, I did find it interesting how much treachery there was going on during Jefferson’s time in office. I did not realize how crazy politics were back in the days. Reading about the politics back in the early 1800’s makes me think about how much better politics has gotten. In our society if any of our political figures are involve in any type of scandals, they can kiss their futures goodbye. The citizen of the United States wants to be represented with dignity and strength, so any type of scandal or treachery would be deemed unforgivable. Being the voice and face of the United States is a job that requires dedication and great thinking.