PENNSYLVANIA AND THE WAR OF 1812.

Lexington: University Press of Kentucky Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. (1970), 206pp, index. VG in VG dj. From the dj: "The author suggests that the principal impetus behind the war was political rather than economic, diplomatic or expansionist. The immediate cause for the war, according to the author, was the Republican Party's ambition to retain leadership of the country by putting their candidate in office in the election of 1812. Republicans feared a takeover by Federalists who, they felt, were a threat to America's independent spirit, and consequently they exploited the unrest with England as a means of staying in power. Mr. Sapio shows (through newspaper articles of the time, government documents, and personal correspondence) that Pennsylvania, as the most staunchly Republican state, supported the prosecution of war with money, votes, and morale, and was chiefly responsible for the hostilities.".