Why Root for the British?

Your surmise that you might root for the French were you living in 1805 is probably dead on. One reason we went to war in 1812 was because the British were impressing Americans for their warships. Americans were dying aboard British ships while being American citizens.

I'd have to go look for it, but I read that we had already made an agreement with the British that they would stop impressing American citizens before the declaration of war. President Madison was unaware of the agreement. Just a bit of clarification on the impressment. Britain did not recognize the naturalization of British citizens who had emigrated to America. Supposedly they were only impressing those who had been born British. However, due to forged identity papers and such, they did, on occasion, impress a sailor who had never been a British citizen. Americans were very upset about this.

And anyway, in the book The Far Side of the World, Jack actually pursues an American ship into the Pacific during the War of 1812. They changed it for the movie so Americans would feel better rooting for Jack. But yeah, at the internal time of the movie, 1805, American audiences (are we getting anachronistic now?) would have not been too keen on the amazing accomplishments of a Royal Navy captain. Times change.

Spifflock_Holmes:

The film wasn't released in 1805.

True: only most of them.

"You're confusing the Revolutionary Wars with the Napoleonic Wars."
" He set about forcing the whole of Europe into a French-dominated empire".

Nope, there is a continuation. Before the arrival of Napoleon, France was already at war with the rest of Europe, for instance Italy. He took the lead and he won it. Then the British attacked (it was not Napoleon who started it). He wanted to abolish european wars by creating an united europe. The french empire itself wasn't the biggest part of his conquest, he preserved most of the conquired countries's states, he just put his people at their head.

"- He overthrew the elected government of France by military force and instituted the world's first modern totalitarian government: secret police, propaganda fed out via a completely controlled and censored press, all of that. "
"- He promptly set about reversing the progressive measures of the Revolutionary government - women's civic and property rights abolished, black slavery re-instituted, France's ex-colonies re-conquered, et cetera. "

Oh yes, you're right, France must have seemed so much more totalitarian than the rest of the european countries i.e: divine right monarchies. In 1800's democracy wasn't exactly a standard, remember? And Napoleon's civil laws were quite liberal at that time. Abolishing slavery wasn't even an option in the USA or the UK at that time, so blaming him for trying to restaure it can seem bit unfair (also surely, it's quite a very sad thing).
Napoleon had republican Values, he beleived in talent over statues (you could climb the social ladder and work at his side without being well born) he instaured cult freedom (quite rare in Europe), his reign was percieved as the Enlightened absolutism france had been waiting for since the revolution (the republics and each of their consitutions were instant failures).

As for the rest, his military records would never have been the same if he did not have the support of his troops.


I'm not saying the guy is a saint, but based on 1800's standards, we can also defend his heritage. Sadly, Anti-french people, british, etc.. tend to describ him as the biggest villain in History who he was not.
It's a controversial figure but certainly not Hitler, come one!

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