The War of 1812-America's "forgotten war"-was anything but inevitable. This groundbreaking study details how a series of diplomatic failures, unresolved grievances and political miscalculations transformed manageable international disputes into an unavoidable crisis that would define a young nation's place in the world.

Drawing from archives at the Library of Congress, the National Archives and the British National Archives at Kew, this comprehensive examination reveals the intricate web of factors that propelled America toward its second conflict with Britain. From the unfinished business of the Revolutionary War to British impressment of American sailors, from failed economic coercion to generational shifts in political leadership, each thread in this complex tapestry is meticulously analyzed.

This book explores the diplomatic miscommunications and missed opportunities that made conflict seem inescapable, filling a critical thirty-year gap in historiography, offering fresh perspectives and mining newly discovered sources that illuminate the domestic political pressures and fundamental disagreements about America's international role that created an irresistible momentum toward war.