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Nathan Lamb Giordano IB History of the Americas HL (4A) 3 March 2011 Word Count: 2000

What were the causes and effects of the Napoleonic Wars1, and how did they subsequently affect the United States and Europe? There were countless causes and effects, both having effect in the United States in Europe such as: The Louisiana Purchase, causing the War of 1812, and many, many more. The Napoleonic Wars2 were a series of conflicts fought between France under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte and a number of European nations between 1799 and 1815; also these wars were the attempts of Napoleon to conquer the world, although never accomplished Napoleon came very close to ruling all of Europe through the Napoleonic Wars. Under the lead of Napoleon, the French defeated the Russians (who pulled out of the Coalition). After the fact, Napoleon offered peace to the Coalition, but they refused- quite the mistake. Napoleon and his army then crossed the Alps in 1800 and promptly defeated the Austrians ( in The Battle of Marengo-1800). In the Battle of Marengo, although the French were outnumbered by nearly 2,000 troops, and in for a surprise, as Napoleon was overly confident in his prowess over the Austrians; they still managed a cunning victory due to Napoleons wit and
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http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/403224/Napoleonic-Wars http://encyclopedia.stateuniversity.com/pages/15645/Napoleonic-Wars.html

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tactics. Some factors that caused the French victory were: Napoleons ability to correct his possibly fatal tactics error, as in the counter attack after regrouping his men, the surge left nearly 14,000 of the Austrian dead or wounded, while Napoleons army suffered only half, at 7,000 casualties. But how does any of this affect the United States, or Europe? Well, the increasing amount of battle are putting Napoleon deeper and deeper in debt, setting the stage for the Louisiana Purchase. And as for Europe, the very beginnings causes of the War of 1812 were set. Although it may have appeared that Napoleon was going to in fact accomplish his goal of conquering the world, he made fatal mistakes that had consequences that even he couldnt foretell. The first of these mistakes was the dethroning of King Charles IV of Spain and replacing him with his brother Joseph Bonaparte the forced king of Spain. The consequences of this single action were enormous; it caused the Guerilla War of revolts against the French in Spain. Joseph Bonaparte becoming the King of Spain also was a major factor in the revolutions in the Spanish colonies in South America, as they were saw it as If Spain can be conquered so easily, why should we be loyal to them?. But, by far the most important and detrimental battle for Napoleon was the battle of Borodino in 1812. The French Invasion of Russia was a crucial turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. The invasion began on June 1812. Napoleon sent a final offer of peace to Saint Petersburg shortly before commencing operations. He never received a reply, so he gave the order to proceed into Russia. June 24th, 1812. The ending is an example of scorched-Earth tactics. Of the 95,000 thousand that began on the five-hundred mile journey back home, only 20,000 survived, a true testament to the horror of the trip-75,000 dead. Of his total loyal army in Europe, only 110,000 remained alive, down from the 615,000 original army. Were the wars really worth it for the price of human life? Five-hundred and five thousand soldiers lost in an attempt at world domination. Although, Napoleon was not completely defeated by the

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disastrous journey home from Russia. The following year, Napoleon managed to raise an army of around 400,000 French troops, and supported by 250,000 French allied troops. Despite being outnumbered, Napoleon won a decisive victory at the Battle of Dresden. But the final nail in the coffin for the Napoleonic Wars was the Battle of Nations (October 1619, 1813) where Napoleon was finally, and truly defeated, and afterwards no longer had the troops to stop the invading Coalition's advance on France. But Napoleons fight at the Battle of Nations was not in vain, he did still manage to inflict heavy losses on the far larger Allied armies as they marched towards Paris, which they captured and forced him to abdicate in 1814. Thus ends the Napoleonic Wars (Not including Napoleons defeat at Waterloo), but how did the wars effect America and Europe again? The Louisiana Purchase3 fundamentally changed the United States, adding to the ever expanding land of opportunity. The true wonders of the purchase were first explored by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery in 1803, as a scientific and military expedition to explore the land of the Louisiana Purchase. The expedition took 863 days, they covered 7,689 miles, and they discovered 122 new species of animals; 178 new species of new plants. The Lewis and Clark journey opened up a new frontier for fur trade with the Native Americans, but also a route to the west. Lewis then became governor of Louisiana Territory4, but he died in 1809. Clark became the governor of Missouri Territory and served as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for many years. He lived a much longer life than Lewis; Clark died in 1838. All of these discoveries made possible due to the Napoleonic Wars and is one of the biggest effect thereof.

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http://www.gatewayno.com/history/lapurchase.html http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/louisianapurchase.html

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At the beginning of the 19th century, Europe was a chaotic battlefield with the eruption of the Napoleonic wars. These wars had a direct impact on British North America and on the United States, which had recently become independent after the American Revolution. Both latter parties were victims of measures imposed by France and Great Britain to win the war, including a blockade to prevent American trade. These all were factors in causing the infamous War of 1812, one of the most overlooked wars in American history. The War of 1812 was between the fledgling United States and the ever powerful Great Britain; the war largely came about because of Frances actions. After the French navy was crushed by the British under the command of Admiral Nelson (1758-1805) at the Battle of Trafalgar, Napoleon turned to economic warfare, a dynamic approach in his war with the British. Napoleon ordered all countries under his control (French) to not commence in any trade with Great Britain. This new tactic imposed by Napoleon was especially effective because Great Britains economy was heavily dependent on trade; Britain retaliated to this by imposing a blockade, via their powerful navy, on France, this measure quickly interfered with the U.S. trade and shipping flow. Ever since the tension between the two European powers started in 1793, the United States tried to remain neutral, but was quickly perturbed into action. The interruption of trade and shipping to and from the continent and the search and seizure of trade ships proved to be significant problems to the American economy. In 1807 Great Britain issued an Order in Council that required that even neutral vessels destined for a continental port to first stop in England; Napoleon countered with the Milan Decree, This decree allowed French warships and privateers to capture neutral ships that were sailing from any British port or from any country or territory that was occupied by British forces, a harsh decree to say the least. The Milan Decree also stated that any ships that gave in to searches by the Royal

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Navy while on the sea were considered lawfully theirs, if taken by the French. Back in America, the people of New England (the region most dependent on shipping), were vehemently opposed to entering war with the British. But the country's economy was suffering greatly as a result of the interruption of exports and trade by the British. Congress declared war on Britain, June 18, 1812. In the days before radio, telegraph, and other forms of rapid communication, the United States did not know that a mere two days before, on June 16, Britain had repealed its Orders in Council, lifting the policy of shipping interference, which had been the main reason that Congress declared war in the first place, a true example of bad timing at its best. As a result, young America and Britain engaged in fighting for nearly the next two and a half years. On December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent officially ended the war in a ceasefire. As a result, neither side gained any land or gains from the war. But soon after the treaty was established, again, poor communication led to more fighting between the U.S and Britain; only two weeks after the treaty was signed, troops in New Orleans, unaware of the Treaty of Ghent, fought for control over the Mississippi River in the biggest battle of the entire war. Though both the United States and Great Britain each claimed victory in the War, neither side had gained anything. Although America claimed victory in what they called the second war of independence, for the crushing defeat of the British invaders at the battle of New Orleans. New Orleans was one of the most overlooked, yet significant battles in American history, Louisianans contributed to the American victory at New Orleans in many often undervalued ways. Behind the front lines white men and black men alike stood side by side to form home guards to protect their private property and to maintain order in New Orleans and surrounding areas. Slaves and citizens both aided in widening canals and building defenses along them to fend off the British. Slaves also helped in fortifying military positions and fought in several battles during the course of the Louisiana

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campaign.The First and Second Battalions of Free Men of Color, consisting of over six hundred men, played an important role in the Louisiana campaign, just as free black men had during the colonial period in the service of France and Spain. Louisiana was the first state in the Union to commission a military officer of African descent, and an act passed by the Louisiana legislature in 1812 was the first in the nation to authorize a black volunteer militia with its black line officers. Also, a little known fact is that the legendary Baratarian pirates aided President Jackson and the Americans, mostly in the form of Artillery power and military supplies. The Baratarian pirates had been approached by the British in hoped that they would aid them instead, but, in true pirate form, they returned to Jackson and discussed the offer the British had proposed, in the end, Jackson promised the pirates amnesty for past offenses in return for siding with America, and promising to have his men fight for America. To America, The Battle of New Orleans signified Britains failure to regain control of the American frontier. A for Britain, the significance of the conflict was nearly overshadowed by the European wars, specifically the War of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon, who returned to Paris in March after his defeat, 1815. Napoleon was then finally defeated and at Waterloo 100 after, and then exiled. But looking closer, it becomes known that the War of 18125 was the first real war that America fought as a country, and remarkably, they won. The many Napoleonic wars had plenty of effects on the United States and Europe. Some of the effects were small, or insignificant, such as in literature or the arts. But the effects that stand out most prominently are how the Napoleonic Wars made the Louisiana Purchase possible, and set the stage for the War of 1812. Can anyone fathom what modern day America would be like if the Napoleonic Wars would have never happened? The Louisiana Purchase was a critical
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gain for America (although it was not specifically allowed under the Constitution), the Purchase nearly doubled the size of America, and set the stage for expansion and growth for the future Land of Opportunity. Or on the opposite side, what would the result have been if Napoleons army was not demolished by the Russian winter, and if he would have had enough troops to protect France from invasion, leaving him in control? Would the entire continent of Europe have fallen to Napoleons cunning tactic? Furthermore, what would have happened to America if, during the War of 1812, the British had conquered at the Battle of New Orleans? Would the British have regained control of America? Would the American Independence movement have been all in vain? All viable questions, all that trace back to the effects of the Napoleonic Wars. Although not of the tallest stature, Napoleon Bonaparte left one of the largest marks on American and European history.

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Source Evaluation 1.) http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/403224/Napoleonic-Wars Origin: Encyclopedia Britannica Purpose: To inform readers of the specifics of the Napoleonic Wars Value: Credible source Limitation: Possible writer bias? / unknown

2.) http://encyclopedia.stateuniversity.com/pages/15645/Napoleonic-Wars.html Origin: Cambridge University encyclopedia Purpose: Information on the Napoleonic Wars Value: Credible source Limitation: Writer biases / errors?

3.) http://www.gatewayno.com/history/lapurchase.html Origin: Internet source Purpose: Info on the Louisiana purchase Value: Good compilation of facts Limitation: possibilities of errors, it is not a known source.

4.) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/louisianapurchase.html Origin: Library of Congress

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Purpose: Information on the Louisiana Purchase Value: Very credible source Limitation: N/A

5.) http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/napoleonic-wars/political-effects-of-the-wars.html Origin: Internet site Purpose: Info on the political effects of the Napoleonic Wars Value: wealth of information on the subject Limitation: Possible errors / unknown source.