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President Madison takes office
Tensions with britain were higher when Madison took office in 1809. Americans were angry at the British for amring Native Americans in trhe Northwest. Americans also resented the continued impressment of american sailors by the British. -
War Hawks Take Power
In 1810, two strong nationalists, Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, became leaders in the House of Represenatives. Opposition to war was strong in New England. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
The British told the USA they would continue impressing sailors. Native Americans in the Northwest began new attacks on frontier settlements. In June Congress declared war on Britain. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
Britain was n ot willing to meet demands to avoid war. Giving Native Americans with support was a way to keep invasions from Canada on America. When the war started Americans thought they had a big chance in winning. -
America is not ready for War
Jeffersons spendings had weakened the Military with only 7000 men. The Navy only had 16 warships and Britain had 135 warships. In the first days of war, Britain had set up blockades on American ports. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
The 135 British ships were blockading Americans ports. After reinforcments, Britain had set up Blockades on all American ports at wars end. A mojor sea battle was fought in the beggining of the war. -
Invasion of Cnanda
Before the war even started, war hawks wanted an Invasion on Canada. They expected Canadians to welcome the chance to throw off Britain. General Hull was unsure of himself about invadi ng Canada. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
The USS Constitution defeated Guerriere in a fierce battle on the sea. It took nearly an hour for the two ships to close in on each other and fire. Eventually The Constitution shot down Guerrieres ship. -
Battle of Lake Erie
Americans did better at the Battle of Lake Erie. Each side new how inportant it was to control the Lake. A three hour battle took place at Put-In-Bay. -
Battle of Thames
The Americans followed them back to Canada. They defeated them at the Battle of Thames. Tecumseh was among those who were killed in battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Creek warriors attacked several southern American settlements. Jackson defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The treaty that ended the fighting, forced the Creeks to give up millions of acres of land. -
Washington, DC Attacked and Burned
The British set fire to several government buildings. Americans were shocked to learn that their army could not protect Washington D.C. Dolley Madison, the prseidents wife took important papers and fled from the White House. -
Attack on Baltimore
The British's first objective was Fort McHenry. The British warships bombarded the Fort throughout the night. Eventually, in the morning the Americans had beaten off the attack. -
Writng the Star Spangled Banner
Key wrote on the back of an old envelope The Star Spangled Banner. It was a poem that described the night he watched. It is now our nations national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
A group of Federalists met in Hartford. Some delegates suggested that the New England states seceded from the USA. Some of the delegates debated, news over of the peace treaty arrived. -
Treaty of Ghent
This treaty ended the war. Things had changed back to the way they were at the beggining of the war. -
Battle of New Orleans
It took several weeks for the treaty to reach them. General Andrew Jackson won a victory at this battle. This was the last Battle.
