Everything about War Hawk totally explained
War Hawk is a term originally used to describe a member of the
House of Representatives of the
Twelfth Congress of the
United States who advocated waging war against
Great Britain in the
War of 1812. The term has evolved into an informal
Americanism used to describe a political stance of preparedness for aggression, by diplomatic and ultimately military means, against others to improve the standing of their own government, country, or organization. Thus the
hawk (a
bird of prey), and is usually contrasted with the term
dove, which alludes to the more peaceful
bird.
War Hawks of 1812
The War Hawks in the Twelfth Congress were mostly young
Democratic-Republicans who had been imbued with the ideals of the
American Revolution as youths, and were primarily from
southern and western states. (The American West then consisted of
Kentucky,
Tennessee, and
Ohio, as well as territories in the
Old Northwest, which didn't yet have votes in Congress.) The War Hawks advocated going to war against Britain for a variety of reasons, mostly related to the interference of the
Royal Navy in American shipping, which the War Hawks believed hurt the American economy and injured American prestige. War Hawks from the western states also believed that the British were instigating
American Indians on the
frontier to attack American settlements, and so the War Hawks called for an invasion of British
Canada to punish Britain and end this threat.
The term "War Hawk" was coined by the prominent
Virginia Congressman
John Randolph of Roanoke, a staunch opponent of entry into the war. There was, therefore, never any "official" roster of War Hawks; as historian Donald Hickey notes, "Scholars differ over who (if anyone) ought to be classified as a War Hawk." However, most historians use the term to describe about a dozen members of the Twelfth Congress. The leader of this group was
Speaker of the House Henry Clay of Kentucky.
John C. Calhoun of
South Carolina was another notable War Hawk. Both of these men became major players in American politics for decades. Other men traditionally identified as War Hawks included
Richard Mentor Johnson of
Kentucky,
William Lowndes of
South Carolina,
Langdon Cheves of
South Carolina,
Felix Grundy of
Tennessee, and
William W. Bibb of
Georgia.
The older members of the Party, led by
United States President James Madison and
Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin tried unsuccessfully to defeat the War Hawks movement. They felt the United States wasn't prepared for war.
Modern usage
The term
War Hawk (or
warhawk or
hawk) has often been used since the War of 1812 to describe politicians or other persons with "hawkish" positions on warfare. It is sometimes extended to describe a tough stance on other issues, such as "deficit hawk" for someone who puts a high priority on reducing the United States federal budget deficit. A pejorative variation is
Chickenhawk, used to belittle someone who advocates war but avoided military service themselves.
Further Information
Get more info on 'War Hawk'.
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