A World War.

The War of 1812 was fought in every region of the United States—from the Northern frontier to New Orleans to the edge of Western settlement. The war also held tremendous importance for the West. There were two major causes of the conflict. The first was international: the United States was caught up in the bitter Napoleonic wars ravaging Europe. Essentially, the federal government (under President James Madison, who was elected in 1808 and reelected in 1812) insisted that the United States be able to remain a neutral trading partner for both the British and the French. Neither Britain nor France wanted the United States to trade with the other warring party. Under pressure to stand up for the new republic's rights on the high seas, Madison proclaimed that unless Great Britain overturned its policy barring French-American trade, the new republic...