Challenges & Opportunities of Teaching The War of 1812

The War of 1812 isn't usually listed among the highlights of American history.  It's a subject that it's easy to blow through in class without much thought.

And if we do give the war any attention, it tends to be negative—the burning of the capital, a war-ending treaty that addressed none of the war's causes, dissent and even treason from New England, a final battle that occurred after the war was over.