How were people affected by the war

The War of 1812 changed the course of American history. Because America had managed to fight the world’s greatest military power to a virtual standstill, it gained international respect. Furthermore, it instilled a greater sense of nationalism among its citizens. It prompted James Monroe and John Quincy Adams to pen the Monroe Doctrine, the nation’s first articulation of a foreign policy. The entire period of time after the War of 1812, during the presidency of James Monroe, is referred to as the "Era of Good Feeling" for the reasons above.

The Federalist Party, founded by Alexander Hamilton, and once the dominant political party in America, declined precipitously following the War of 1812. Its members had opposed a war with Great Britain.

While the War of 1812 had virtually no impact in England, it did assure the survival of the British colonies in Canada, and ultimately paved the way for the Canadian Confederation – the precursor to the nation of Canada. Some historians believe if the War of 1812 had not happened, Canada would have become part of the United States because so many Americans would have migrated north.

The Baltimore Riots of 1812 were particularly brutal as pro-war Democratic-Republicans tortured anti-war Federalists, pouring hot candle wax into their eyes and sticking them with pen-knives. In the violent frenzy, two men were murdered, making the first casualties of the War of 1812 on the streets of Baltimore, not on the battlefield.