The Growth of Anti-British Attitudes in Kentucky Prior to War of 1812

The purpose of this study is to examine the causes of belligerency in Kentucky in this period of diplomatic crisis, thus examining the second level of causation for the war as suggested by Brown\u27s study. The test case used is Kentucky which was known as one of the states most anxious for war against Britain, both in Congress and in the state itself. However, this study will not attempt to interpret the role of the state\u27s representatives in the Congress of the United States, since, if Brown is correct in his interpretation, the causes of public belligerency had little to do with the final declaration of war. When a member of Congress is quoted, it is because his statements summarize the feeling of the people in Kentucky. Thus there is little attempt to relate the voting or speeches of various representatives to the causes of belligerent attitudes of Kentuckians, except in ways in which these prominent Kentuckians reflect the backgrounds and attitudes of their less articulate neighbors. The role of the Kentucky Congressmen of the Twelfth Congress in bringing war, a role which has been extensively studied in many other works, thus falls outside the scope of this study