The history of the War of 1812 has mainly been written by Americans in an American perspective. In doing so, it expresses a concept that everyone was joyful after the war; Americans for winning the war, Canadians because they knew they also had won, and the British are not mentioned. Jon Latimer, author of the book, offers a British perspective of the war and argues that no side was a victor of the war. British scholars studied their second war against the United States, and concluded that it was a triumphant one for John Bull. However, American historians believe that America won the war in every aspect, physically and economically. Latimer’s argument is evident when the British perspective is taken into consideration. For example, when Andrew Jackson lost to the British at New Orleans, Americans claimed it a victory once the Treaty of Ghent was approved. The victory that they had claimed clearly did not represent the seizing of Canada or revenue from their colonial masters. Instead, the victory was claimed for the reputation of America. Many believed the war represented a war for independence and an expression of a newly found sovereignty. …show more content…
J.C.A. Stagg concluded, “the United States had done little more than survive some of the most dangerous threats that had yet been posed to its existence as a nation.”
Surviving, of course, is better than the complete destruction, he continues with “mere survival, whatever its psychological satisfactions for Americans at the time, was far less than what the United States had hoped to accomplish in the months after June