"This comprehensive study examines the War of 1812 in the context of the history of the American republic between 1783 and 1830. The author locates the origins of the war not so mush in the issues traditionally emphasized by historians -- such as the Anglo-American debate on maritime rights -- but rather in James Madison's thinking about the political economy of the British Empire and in his reaction to growing factionalism within the Republican party."--Page 2 of cover.