inspired by a reply from charge_7, i thought about a fitting name for the war. lets hear some ideas.

you mean like something that covers the whole two years we actually fought? How about the anglo-american war, why not, there were plenty of other minorities in the usa by that time to not make that sound like an oxymoron.

Atlantic War?

but atlantic war wouldn't sound right since fighting in the sea was very limited to only the british. Most of the war was fought in the eastern part of north america, and new orleans.

The British-American War (after the Mexican-American War and the Spanish-American War).

Almost works, except it could just as easily refer to The War for Independence.

I'd suggest "The Second War for Independence" as it was the central issue of having Britain recognize us as a sovereign power that drove it.

Another thought that I've long had is that this was just one arena of what was actually the first world war and the succeeding world wars should be renamed WWII and WWIII. Of course nobody will go for that because we don't like changing names after getting used to them for over 60 years. However, a case could be made that this was indeed the first world war. Not only was Britain fighting in North, Central and South America but Europe as well, of course, and there was some limited actions in Asia and Africa involving the European powers and colonial holdings. There were alliances as in the 20th century as well. I suspect the reason it never came to be thought of as such is that communication made warfare much more localized in its impression in those days - that and we don't like to think of the fighting parties as grand scale enemies the way we do the Kaiser and Hitler for example.

Originally Posted by SigPig

The British-American War (after the Mexican-American War and the Spanish-American War).

Hmm that would make it the Anglo-Amercan war.

Originally Posted by Charge_7

Almost works, except it could just as easily refer to The War for Independence.

I'd suggest "The Second War for Independence" as it was the central issue of having Britain recognize us as a sovereign power that drove it.

I thought the war was about the french and british disrespecting our neutral shipping by impressing our sailors. It wasn't meant to declare us as a sovereign power since britain already felt that way, it was really for the respect a sovereign nation deserves, not to mention we pretty much had to pick a side. And we owed the french for lafayette and the battle of yorktown.

What about the war of rights? (the right of america to be respected as a nation, and the right of british canada to exist)

The problemn with the War of 1812 is that it was started for many muddled reasons, so we where never really fighting FOR anything in the sense like we where in the war of independence of WW2.

What is significant about it, however, that the war of 1812 was like a continuation of the war of independence. The War of 1812 was basically America's puberty where we came out much different and on the road to a becomming very powerful.

Although the war of American Puberty doesn't sound very fitting does is?