Yeah, Kendall that was part of the reason...but I think it was mainly more of a handy excuse for what the American presidency at the time saw as a simply grand opportunity to about double the size of the USA. One always needs a foreign "offense" of some sort to get the public worked up, after all, and that one worked fine.

It was a real issue, though. Granted. The British dominated the sea at that time, and they weren't much worried about the very small American Navy, so they basically did what they wanted to in that regard.

If I'd been an American president looking to conquer Canada in 1812, that's exactly the issue I would have used to get the public and Congress onside for what looked like a quick and easy victory. It was a war that ended in a draw with no material gain for either side...and they both claimed victory! ;-) For British North America (Canada) it was a matter of sheer survival, however. Without our many Native Indian allies, we'd probably not have won that conflict. We're grateful to them now, but they got little reward for it back then.