The War of 1812

A large part of the disunity in the nation during the War of 1812 was due to the fact that the New England states prospered during that time. New Englanders thought that the issue of impressment was old news and exaggerated, and they sided with England while disliking the nation's sympathy for Napoleon. The Federalists also disliked the war, because conquering Canada would mean more states added to the Northwest, strengthening the power of the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans. This led to the treasonous acts of supplying the enemy with food and supplies in huge portions, lending money to the enemy, and even alerting the enemy when American ships were about to escape. There was talk about a secession from the nation, or having a separate peace with England. The disunity within the nation was so strong that the New England states held the Hartford Convention in 1814. However, just as they were about to make their demands, the news of the Treaty of Ghent arrived, and the Hartford Convention was exposed to the public as treason. But the talk of sucession in the northern states still dominated more than any other section until 1815.