Write an article as a journalist to explain to your readers how the War of 1812 brought political and economic changes to the United states.

Any article on the results of the War of 1812 would need to stress the importance of its effect on American morale and confidence.  With the victories of the war, Americans were riding high.  They had defended their lands from one of the strongest empires in the world for a second time in a quarter of a century. This brought an era of unprecedented cooperation in American government that saw a one-party system for a time.  This does not necessarily sound like a good thing, having one party, but in this instance, there was a period of cooperation in the federal government.  The confidence of the war, coupled with the fact that the British would stop instigating the Native American tribes would see the United States expand West at a fevered pace.  This would ultimately hurt the tribes in a major way, but from the perspective of Americans at the time, it was an exciting time.  The war also had a significant effect on the military situation in the United States.  The United States abandoned the practice of state militias for defense and began the process of creating a national standing army.