IN THE spring and summer of 1814, New Hampshire Congressman Daniel Webster attended to his law practice and his family in Portsmouth. He had recently participated in the second session of the 13th Congress in Washington, D.C., where he had gained a remarkable level of influence for a first t…
After years of wrangling over trade and sovereignty issues, the United States declared war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on June 18, 1812. A significant factor driving the U.S. into war was worry over America’s lack of prestige and influence in the world. Over the next m…