Wichitaboy

I believe that the Mexican War was the first war fought by the US in which there was significant protest against the government’s policy, protest led by New Englanders. Interestingly, both Lincoln and Grant were opposed to that war.

The War of 1812 was far, far more divisive than the Mexican War (Hartford Convention?).

New England, an entrenched Federalist redoubt, essentially thumbed its nose at the rest of the country and continued its long-standing trading partnership with British-held Canada. From June 1811 to June 1814, Massachussetts banks alone increased their hard money from $1,709,000 to $7,326,000, while pro-war Southern and Western state banks were being sucked dry of specie.

Matters got so out of hand that in 1813 a law was enacted creating a trade embargo between the states. All that did was increase disruption in the country and it was repealed a year later.

With all this Joe Wilson and WMD stuff, some perspective might help. One of my all-time favorite books on American history is Albert Z. Carr’s “The Coming Of War : An account of the remarkable events leading to the War of 1812″ (Doubleday, 1960). It is a superb acccount of American diplomacy from 1782 to 1815. I don’t agree with his concluding chapter, but it is eminently readable and informative in the main.