War of 1812 - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project

The U.S. Frigate Constitution commanded by Isaac Hull, undated, etching – Yale University Art Gallery

From June 1812 to January 1815, the United States entangled itself in a foreign war by siding with France against Great Britain. Federalists in Connecticut viewed it as an unconstitutional aggression that jeopardized the state’s economic stability by turning Atlantic trade routes into a war zone. In time, naval blockades of vital ports, like New London, and assaults on Essex and Stonington garnered increased support for the war. Arms, munitions, and textile manufacturers in the state benefited, as did privateers, by meeting wartime needs. Connecticut also supplied a national hero: Isaac Hull, whose exploits as captain of the USS Constitution, aka Old Ironsides, became the stuff of legend. As late December 1814, however, opposition to the war remained and was voiced at the Hartford Convention, where Republicans feared New England would secede from the Union. This did not transpire and the war’s conclusion also spelled the end of the Federalist’s political clout.

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