Opposition to the War of 1812 in Britain off war to continue to make money. Movements, such as the Friends of Peace, sprung up to oppose the war with France and the war with America. The last major point of opposition against the War of 1812 came when the British burned the White House, along with other public buildings in Washington, D.C, in August of 1814. Many argued that America deserved to be treated with the same wartime respect that the European powers received, especially when a battle did not involve Native Americans or American militia forces. Other feared it might weaken Britain’s position at the Congress of
General Post Office (Washington, D.C.) War of 1812, William Thornton, Superintendent of the Patent Office, convinced British troops to spare the building. Because the United States Capitol had been burned down, Congress temporarily met in the building. In 1836, a fireplace accident set the building on fire, destroying thousands of patent models and records. President Andrew Jackson sought to rebuild the General Post Office (and to build a new Patent Office on the block just north of the site), and Robert Mills designed and oversaw construction, with the new General Post Office completed in 1842. The original building was a U-shape, extending along E Street