The Life of Andrew Jackson

by Robert V. Remini

war against Great Britain in 1812. He was forty-five years of age at the time. The causes of the war were many, but the most important one without question was psychological. Although Britain, over a period of many years, had seized American ships, impressed American sailors, tampered with American trade, and encouraged Indian raids along the northern frontier and thus provided any number of good reasons for combat, perhaps the most compelling reason driving the United States into war was the urgent need to prove its inalienable right to liberty and independence. Since winning its freedom from England the country had been subjected to a series of humiliations in one form or another. For many Americans there had grown an overpowering need to prove to the world once again that they had a right to be free and that they could successfully defend their independence against even their most powerful adversary. And there was another reason, almost as important and far more pragmatic: American expansion. For years Americans dreamed of taking Canada from England. They tried to do it during the Revolution and failed. For one thing, the acquisition of Canada would terminate British provocation of the Indians along the border. War with Britain also meant probable hostilities with her ally, Spain, and a successful war with Spain could provide the Floridas. In terms of geographic expansion, therefore, war could mean the creation of a tremendous American empire stretching from ocean to oc...

This is a much better explanation than Madison gave.