Snap Debate Reflection

Yesterday in class (4/2/13) we had a debate on what was the main cause of the War of 1812. The top reasons were Impressment, the Chesapeake Affair, Orders in Court and incitement of Native Americans. After watching the video on Sophia.org I decided that the main cause was Orders in Court. When I came to class today I was placed in the Impressment group, so I had to debate over the idea that Impressment was the number one reason of the War of 1812 even though I didn't agree with that. Impressment was when under British law; the navy had the right to basically arrest men and place them in the Royal Navy. The British had naval press gangs who could take almost anyone they found with a few exceptions. People who were protected were required to carry paperwork stating who they are and their trade. If you couldn't come up with your paperwork, you were pressed without further question. The press gangs operated on land and sea. Any officer of the Royal Navy could stop English vessels and press crewmen. Technically it was illegal to take foreigners but this was ignored. Although I didn't believe that Impressment was the main cause of the War of 1812 it was definitely a large factor. After I switched groups to Orders in Court (which was the group I originally chose to be in) my group argued why Orders in Court was the number one reason for War in 1812. Britain had prevented the U.S from trading with France, which is in Europe; this basically stopped all trade to Europe. Cutting of trade made The United States and Britain resent each other even more. I think that vital trade between the U.S and Europe was a larger cause then Impressment because taking away trade to Europe takes away the economy of the United States. I enjoyed the Snap Debate; I thought it was a great way for everyone to share their ideas in a calm manner. It was also a clever idea to allow everyone to take notes on each topic and be able to switch sides if they wanted. Over-all the Snap Debate was a great way to learn about why the United States went to war with Britain in 1812.