America's "forgotten war" was anything but — it nearly broke the country before it began. In this activity, students dig into the causes of the War of 1812, weigh competing perspectives from War Hawks, Peace Doves, and Tecumseh's confederacy, and decide for themselves whether the fight was worth it.

What Students Will Learn
The five causes that pushed the United States into the War of 1812
Why Americans were deeply divided over whether to fight
How Tecumseh and the Native American confederacy responded to the threat of war
What each group actually gained or lost when the war was over
How to build a historical argument using evidence from primary sources
 
What's Included
Print & Digital copy of The History Cat article: "The War of 1812"
Student investigation guide: "To War or Not to War?"
Causes chart covering all five major causes
Primary source analysis: War Hawks, Peace Doves, and Tecumseh
Treaty of Ghent outcomes from multiple perspectives
CER writing prompt: Was the war worth it?
Teacher guide with answer keys

Grade Level: 7–12 (Note: Parts 3 and 4 may be challenging for middle school readers)
Duration: 60–90 minutes
DOK: Levels 1–3