From ship to cell: American mariners in captivity and the contest of American identity during the era of 1812

This thesis builds on the recent work of historians who have reappraised the experience of prisoners of war during the early history of the United States. Specifically, it examines the still largely neglected topic of American maritime prisoners during the War of 1812, the first officially declared war by the United States, and the second war against Britain. During the three years of fighting some 14,000 American mariners became prisoners of war under the British. The experience of these men has so far not been comprehensively explored within the historical literature, aside from singular chapters in broader narratives and a handful of scholarly articles and popular histories. Yet, as with the histories of the prisoners of war throughout the history of the United States, the experiences of prisoners of war provides a fresh and tantalising window into the development of American conceptions of identity and nationalism. This thesis examines imprisonment during the War of 1812, and considers the impact that captivity had upon the prisoners' understanding of, and contribution to, the development of American identity and culture.