CHAPTER L
Causes Of The War With England : Orders In CounCil—.impressment—Indian Hostilities.
The United States assumed a rank among the nations of the world, in one cf the most stormy periods of its history.' All Europe was. convulsed by the direful effects of the French revolution. The combined efforts of Austria, of Germany, of England to curb the power of France produced a convulsive struggle on her part which had well nigh crumbled their thrones in the dust. The mighty warrior called into political life. by this elemental war, seemed to move as the genius of the tempest. One of Ius ruling maxims was never to tolerate a neutral; all therefore within the reach of his arm were either allies, vassals, or foes. England, whose erroneous policy had in the first instance given rise to this distempered energy, chose to adopt the same maxim. She moreover appealed to the world as the defender of the liberties and rights of nations, and plainly denounced as traitors, .those who declined a participation in her quarrels.
Fortunately for this country, the waves of the Atlantic rolled between it and the fury of the European belligerents. However desirous they might be of engaging" ns in their mad contest, it could only be done through insidious arts, by which the inexperienced are entrapped, or by repeated provocations, calculated to produce a state of mind favorable to their designs. For twenty five years, these designs were resisted with unshaken firmness. The advice of Washington, to keep aloof from -8
the dangerous contest, was strictly observed. The nation was repeatedly exasperated beyond endurance, but the government opposed itself to the imprudent. effects of wounded feeling. It appeared to be a contest between France and England which could injure us most, and on our part how long we could forbear. But there , is a point at which this forbearance must become not only imprudent, but unjust. As in common life, where a tame submission to injuries invites a repetition of them: so a youthful nation, like a young man, will find some ruffian ilesirous of putting its courage to the test, and if found wanting, it is then with impunity insulted by the most arrant coward. The pains we had taken to keep aloof from the European wars, at last came to be taken for pusillanimity, or at least for a want of energy in the structure of the government. It became fashionable to represent us as a mean and sordid race, incapable of any generous feeling, and exclusively devoted to self interest, whom no insult, no injury, could provoke to strike, m short, that we could not be "kicked into a war." The practices at first resorted to for the purpose of engagingus to share their battles, were now converted into the ordinary means of supplying their coffers or recruiting their strength. France confiscated and plundered our ships, Spain and some of the petty states followed the example, as though our pacific policy had rendered us lawful prey to $11 nations. England seemed to think that she had a right to transfer our seamen to her service at her pleasure. 'Thus situated, it became no longer a matter of choice with this country, whether to remain at peace or not; war sooner or later was inevitable', the difficulty was in the choice of the enemy, or whether t» contend with both.
From Britain we had experienced great provocation. This haughty power seemed to harbour a dislike to us for having so bravely declared and maintained our independence. Her conduct towards us was uniformly disrespectful and contemptuous. She had called us rebels, she still considered us but as successful rebels, whose destitution of principle must in the end, cause to fall * together by the ears and thus make room for the restoration of their expelled sovereign. Little did she know of the real spirit of American liberty. Her first transactions with us, were marked by faithlessness. The settling down of this mighty republic into that sober order and beautiful symetry which at presen