War fever : the American press and the war of 1812

Based on original documents derived from the huge collection at the Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, the essay looks at the way the American press first justified the war and praised the courage and honor of the American soldiers, creating a “war fever” in the early Republic; then how the newspapers reflected on the event and helped devise a more affirmed national identity and passion of patriotism despite the poor record of the military deeds. Among the national symbols arose from this war the character of Uncle Sam, the national anthem derived from the poem “In Defense of Fort McHenry”, the newly painted President’s Home after the fire in Washington that became commonly known as the White House, and the hero of the Battle of New Orleans in 1816, Andrew Jackson, who became President with the new Democratic party in the election of 1828