1812

As military campaigns go, the War of 1812 was a disaster. By the time it ended in 1815, Washington, D.C., had been burned to the ground, the national debt had nearly tripled, and territorial gains were negligible. Yet the war gained so much popular support that it ushered in what is known as the era of good feelings, a period of relative partisan harmony and strengthened national identity. Historian Nicole Eustaces cultural history of the war tells the story of how an expensive, unproductive campaign won over a young nation--largely by appealing to the heart. 1812 looks at the way each major event of the war became an opportunity to capture the American imagination