1812 United States elections
| ← House elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic-Republican hold |
|---|---|
| Seats contested | All 182 voting members |
| Net seat change | Democratic-Republican +7[2] |
The 1812 United States elections elected the members of the
In the presidential election, incumbent
Following the
In the Senate, Federalists picked up a small number of seats, but Democratic-Republicans retained a dominant majority.[6]
Background
Military conflict resulting from the Napoleonic Wars in Europe had been steadily worsening throughout James Madison's first term, and the British and French had been ignoring the neutrality of the United States at sea by seizing American ships to look for supposed deserters. The British further provoked the Americans by impressing American seamen, maintaining forts within United States territory in the Northwest, and supporting Native Americans at war with the U.S. Meanwhile, expansionists in the south and west of the United States coveted British Canada and Spanish Florida and wanted to use British provocations as a pretext to seize both areas. The pressure continued to build, and as a result the United States declared war on the United Kingdom on June 12, 1812. This occurred after Madison had been nominated by the Democratic-Republicans, but before the Federalists had made their nomination.
The Federalist Party had dominated the American government from 1789 to 1801 under Alexander Hamilton whilst retaining a stronghold in New England. It made a brief resurgence in the 1812 election by opposing the war, and dissolved shortly after in 1834.
See also
- 1812 United States presidential election
- 1812–13 United States House of Representatives elections
- 1812–13 United States Senate elections
References
- ^ Not counting special elections.
- ^ a b Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
- ^ "1812 Presidential Election". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ History of American Presidential Elections, Volume I 1789-1844; Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.; Pgs 249-272
- ^ "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.