What So Proudly We Hailed : Essays on the Contemporary Meaning of the War of 1812

With distrust between the political parties running deep and Congress divided, the government of the United States goes to war. The war is waged without adequately preparing the means to finance it or readying suitable contingency plans to contend with its unanticipated complications. The executive branch suffers from managerial confusion and in-fighting. The military invades a foreign country, expecting to be greeted as liberators, but encounters stiff, unwelcome resistance. The conflict drags on longer than predicted. It ends rather inconclusively—or so it seems in its aftermath. Sound familiar? This all happened two hundred years ago. What So Proudly We Hailed looks at the War of 1812 in part through the lens of today's America. On the bicentennial of that formative yet largely forgotten period in U.S. history, this provocative book asks: What did Americans learn—and not learn—from the experience? What instructive parallels and distinctions can be drawn with more recent events? How did it shape the nation? Exploring issues ranging from party politics to sectional schisms, distant naval battles to the burning of Washington, and citizens' civil liberties to the fate of Native Americans caught in the struggle, these essays speak to the complexity and unpredictability of a war that many assumed would be brief and straightforward. What emerges is a revealing perspective on a problematic "war of choice"—the nation's first, but one with intriguing implications for others, including at least one in the present century. Although the War of 1812 may have faded from modern memory, the conflict left important legacies, both in its immediate wake and in later years. In its own time, the war was transformative. To this day, however, some of the fundamental challenges that confronted U.S. policymakers two centuries ago still resonate. How much should a free society regularly invest in national defense? Should the expense be defrayed through new taxes? Is it possible for profound partisan disagreements to stop "at the water's edge"? What are the constitutional limits of executive powers in wartime? How, exactly, should the government treat dissenters, especially when many are suspected of giving aid and comfort to an enemy? As Americans continue to reflect on their country and its role in the world, these questions remain as relevant now as they were then. With distrust between the political parties running deep and Congress divided, the government of the United States goes to war. The war is waged without adequately preparing the means to finance it or readying suitable contingency plans to contend with its unanticipated complications. The executive branch suffers from managerial confusion and in-fighting. The military invades a foreign country, expecting to be greeted as liberators, but encounters stiff, unwelcome resistance. The conflict drags on longer than predicted. It ends rather inconclusively—or so it seems in its aftermath.Sound familiar? This all happened two hundred years ago.__What So Proudly We Hailed__Exploring issues ranging from party politics to sectional schisms, distant naval battles to the burning of Washington, and citizens' civil liberties to the fate of Native Americans caught in the struggle, these essays speak to the complexity and unpredictability of a war that many assumed would be brief and straightforward. What emerges is a revealing perspective on a problematic "war of choice"—the nation's first, but one with intriguing implications for others, including at least one in the present century.Although the War of 1812 may have faded from modern memory, the conflict left important legacies, both in its immediate wake and in later years. In its own time, the war was transformative. To this day, however, some of the fundamental challenges that confronted U.S. policymakers two centuries ago still resonate. How much should a free society regularly invest in national defense? Should the expense be defrayed through new taxes? Is it possible for profound partisan disagreements to stop "at the water's edge"? What are the constitutional limits of executive powers in wartime? How, exactly, should the government treat dissenters, especially when many are suspected of giving aid and comfort to an enemy? As Americans continue to reflect on their country and its role in the world, these questions remain as relevant now as they were then. " With distrust between the political parties running deep and Congress divided, the government of the United States goes to war. The war is waged without adequately preparing the means to finance it or readying suitable contingency plans to contend with its unanticipated complications. The executive branch suffers from managerial confusion and in-fighting. The military invades a foreign country, expecting to be greeted as liberators, but encounters stiff, unwelcome resistance. The conflict drags on longer than predicted. It ends rather inconclusivelyor so it seems in its aftermath. Sound familiar? This all happened two hundred years ago. What So Proudly We Hailed looks at the War of 1812 in part through the lens of today's America. On the bicentennial of that formative yet largely forgotten period in U.S. history, this provocative book What did Americans learnand not learnfrom the experience? What instructive parallels and distinctions can be drawn with more recent events? How did it shape the nation? Exploring issues ranging from party politics to sectional schisms, distant naval battles to the burning of Washington, and citizens' civil liberties to the fate of Native Americans caught in the struggle, these essays speak to the complexity and unpredictability of a war that many assumed would be brief and straightforward. What emerges is a revealing perspective on a problematic ""war of choice""the nation's first, but one with intriguing implications for others, including at least one in the present century. Although the War of 1812 may have faded from modern memory, the conflict left important legacies, both in its immediate wake and in later years. In its own time, the war was transformative. To this day, however, some of the fundamental challenges that confronted U.S. policymakers two centuries ago still resonate. How much should a free society regularly invest in national defense? Should the expense be defrayed throu" What So Proudly We Hailed looks at this period in American history through the lens of 21st century America. This book asks, What did America learn and not learn from the experience? How did it help shape a nation? With Congress divided along party lines, the U.S. government went to war without adequately preparing means to finance the conflict or capabilities needed to achieve its aims. Like the United States two hundred years ago, the executive branch still suffers from in-fighting. The military invades a foreign nation, expecting to be treated as liberators. The entire endeavor winds down to an inconclusive ending. By 2003, America was waging two wars at once, at vast expense. Neither was financed by tax increases but instead with borrowed money like in 1812 when the "Republican" party's reluctance to use the government's taxing power led to expanded debt and inadequate funding for the war. In this book, the contributors view how Partisan animosity in 1812 surpassed today's rancor, teaching us the danger of hyperpartisanship and the less obvious tendency of the party system to adapt and realign. The Federalist-Republican competition that dominated early U.S. politics dissipated in the war's aftermath. We take today's partisan divide as a given, but that is likely to pass. Historian Alan Taylor examines the war's sectional tensions and the implications for American nationalism. Historian Peter J. Kastor discusses how 1812-15 affected state-federal relations. Author Stephen Budiansky explores military legacy. Pietro Nivola assesses partisan rivalry of early 1800s and what it can tell us about today's strife. Benjamin Wittes and Ritika Singh investigate constitutional frictions regarding presidential power and civil liberties Introduction / Pietro S. Nivola And Peter J. Kastor -- Party War Of 1812 : Yesterday's Lessons For Today's Partisan Politics / Pietro S. Nivola -- The War Of 1812 And The Rise Of American Military Power / Stephen Budiansky -- Dual Nationalisms : Legacies Of The War Of 1812 / Alan Taylor -- James Madison, Presidential Power, And Civil Liberties In The War Of 1812 / Benjamin Wittes And Ritika Singh -- The War Over Federalism : The Constitutional Battles In The War Of 1812 / Peter J. Kastor. Pietro S. Nivola, Peter J. Kastor, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Cover Inside Flap Title Page Copyright Information Table of Contents Foreword Acknowledgments Some Explanatory Notes Introduction The "Party War" of 1812: Yesterday's Lessons for Today's Partisan Politics The War of 1812 and the Rise of American Military Power Dual Nationalisms: Legacies of the War of 1812 James Madison, Presidential Power, and Civil Liberties in the War of 1812 The War over Federalism: The Constitutional Battles in the War of 1812 Contributors Index Back Cover