declaration of war in 1812 against ray britton was just an act of enormous treachery. they felt they were trying to world, save civilization from napoleon. for the united states to stab them in the back was an unforgivable act. for the first two years of the war, they were tied up with the fight with napoleon, but when theywar seemed to be over, had more forces to send over. there was certainly an element that flowed through the mind of many of the soldiers and sailors that marched into washington 200 years ago. anybody who listens to the star-spangled banner or that it has to understand this first verse that we all sing at baseball games, you listen to during the super bowl -- you always have to remember that that verse ends in a quest ion mark, because he really did not know what the future was going to hold for the united states at that moment. >> each week american history tv sits in on a lecture with one of the nation's college professors. you can watch the classes every saturday at 8:00 p.m. and midnight eastern. next, indiana university history professor michael