Why did the US attack Canada instead of England in the war 1812?

Answer 1

Canada is geographically much closer to the US than Britain is, and therefore Canada would be easier for the US to attack. Likewise, because of the distance, it would be more difficult for Britain to defend Canada. The Atlantic Ocean is a large body of water, and the War of 1812 occurred well before the steam engine. Crossing the Atlantic was a major undertaking that often took months. American troops could march to Canada in a matter of a few weeks.

Britain was already fighting a major war in Europe against Napoleon and France. The US knew that Britain could spare very few troops to defend Canada.

One of the objectives of the US in starting the war of 1812 was to acquire Upper Canada and Lower Canada and annex them into the US. There was no interest in crossing the Atlantic to attack Britain, and there was little to be gained by doing so.

Also, it was common knowledge that a large number of Americans had settled in the southwest peninsula of Upper Canada (the area between Georgian Bay and Lake Erie). The US assumed that at the very least those settlers would not resist, and would probably support the invasion.

The US assumed that Upper Canada would fall in a few weeks, and then Lower Canada would follow suit. The US assumed that Lower Canada, a French colony that had been conquered by Britain only 50 years beforehand, would welcome being 'liberated' by the US.

What the US did not know was that Upper Canada was more prepared and better organized than the US, and was ready to defend itself.

Caanada won the war and burned the White House.

Answer 2

Territorial expansion. Easy targets. Many in Canada were from the American colonies and were therefore thought more sympathetic to the Americans than the British in the war.

It was also the best and "easiest" means at attacking Britain, since they were British Colonies

Extra:

Great Britain had also abolished Slavery and were constantly attacking American Slavers,

Great Britain was also in war with the SuperPowers of Europe (Spain, The New French Empire) so America attacked, ussualy - America attacks countries that are busy fighting somewhere else or are massively weaker.

Answer 3

The British were more resented because of their policies claiming the right to take any British sailors serving on American merchant ships (which also usually included Americans). After the Embargo Act (which prevented all trade with Europe) and other peaceful measures failed, the US (specifically the Democratic-Republicans - the Federalists didn't want war with Britain because they knew it would devastate their economy) argued that war was their only option because Britain wouldn't revoke its decrees even after Napoleon did

Answer 4

Canada was providing the Indians on the frontier with guns and ammunition. Wars had broken out between America and the Indians. America decided to stop Canada from providing guns and ammunition to the Indians.

(Of course, America was not totally innocent. America had been providing supplies for Napoleon in his war against Spain and England. It did not matter if Jean Lafitte, the pirate, was actually providing the boats to carry the guns and ammunition to Napoleon.)

The war of 1812 was part of the Napoleonic Wars. The United States was fighting on the side of Napoleon or at least was trying to take advantage of the situation while England was tied up with Napoleon. England was trying to keep the United States tied up with the Indians instead of assisting Napoleon.

Answer 5

Two reasons. One is that US politicians badly neglected the US military in the years leading up to 1812. The second is that those politicians expected Canadians to greet their invasion force as liberators.

Oddly enough, it was the second time they made that mistake. An American army had invaded Lower Canada (Quebec) in 1775, and been decisively defeated by a combination of British troops and Canadian militia.

It is true that more than half the population of Upper Canada (Ontario) were born in the US. Many of those had chosen to move to Canada, but a large number were Loyalists who had been forced to give up their homes and belongings and leave the US at gunpoint.

Canadians, including those new Canadians, made up the largest part of the defending force, with aboriginal tribes and a much smaller number of British regulars. Although badly outnumbered, they defeated ten separate invasion armies decisively.

President Madison and the War Hawks were also overconfident because of their 20-to-1 advantage in population. Thomas Jefferson declared that taking Canada was "merely a matter of marching."

Motivation may have contributed, too. American militia often refused to leave their own states, let alone invade another country, while those Canadians went into battle knowing that an American victory would mean the end of Canada.

Which raises an important point. Occasionally someone writes that it was "merely British territory" because Canada didn't become a country until 1867. In fact, by 1812, British rule or not, the entire area had been referred to as Canada for a couple of centuries already, and the term "Canadian" predates the term "American" by about a hundred years.

Ironically, by starting a war and forcing Canadians to defend their land, the US set in motion a wave of patriotic feeling, and nation-building, that led to an independent Canada.

Answer 6

cause they had less people and less training

Answer 7

The US wished to incorporate Canada into the United States and, knowing Britain would be engaged in fighting Napoleon in Europe, they assumed it would be relatively easy.