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The War of 1812
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President Madison Takes Office
James Madison won the election easily. He was a republican, like former President Thomas Jefferson. He hoped Britain and France would stop trying to get the U.S. involved in the war. Madison also helped write the Constitution and pass the Bill of Rights. He also wanted the U.S. to stay neutral to the war. Many people thought Madison was to timid on the subject. The U.S. needed to be more fierce with the Native Amercians and foreign countries or they would get nothing done. -
War Hawks Take Power
The War Hawks were a group of southern congressman who had a strong sence of sense nationalism. They really wanted to declare war on Britain, they had good reasons too. They told and persuaded the other congressmen. Eventually, the U.S. declared war on Britain. -
Relations with Great Britain worsen.
Americans and Indians fighting caused relations with Great Britain to worsen. The British were giving guns to the Native Americans. They were also telling Native Americans to attack U.S. settlements. Also, they disagreed on trading. The U.S. mad an offer. If Britain stopped siezing U.S. ships, the U.S. would halt trade with France, and vice versa. Quickly after that, Napolean Bonaparte announced France would respect U.S. neutrality. As U.S. promised, they stopped all trade with Britain. -
Congress Declares War on Britain.
The United States and Britain were getting closer to war. The U.S. tried trading with France, but British ships blocked ports. Also, Britain boarded American ships and impressed the sailors. In May 1811, a small fight broke out between an American frigate ship and a British warship. The Americans won, killing 32 British men and destroying the ship. The War Hawks told the rest of congess to prepare for war aginst Britain. Eventually, Madison gave in. Congress voted, 49 opposed, 79 said yes. -
America is not Ready For War.
The British were suprised when Americans declared war. They were fighting with France, so they couldn't spare troops. SInce the govenrment reduced spending on defence, The U.S. wasn't ready either. They only had 16 ships, while the British had a huge fleet. The army was small, and most officers knew little about war. -
Britain Blockades American Ports.
When Britain heard the U.S. stopped trade with them, they got mad. They sent warships over to the U.S. ports. They also attcked U.S ships and impressed seamen still. They blocked the U.S. ports so France couldn't trade with them. -
Invasion of Canada.
General William Hull put American troops from Detroit into Canada. Canadians had few, untrained troops. Although they were being led by clever leader, General Isaac Brock. He put the Canidans in red uniforms so it looked like the British were helping. He also lied to the Americans, saying more Native Americans were helping the Canadians. Amricans were wrong about thinking the Canadians wanted American rule. Antime the U.S. invaded Canada., Canada fought back hard. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory.
Isaac Hull, who was the captain, was sailing near Newfoundland. He the spotted to British ship Gueriere. For about an hour, they jockyed for position. Finally, the Constitutions guns went off and tore holes in the Gueriere and shot both masts off. The Americans won this battle. -
Battle of Lake Erie
During 1813, the U.S wanted to gain control over Lake Erie. Captain Oliver Hazard Perry didn't have any ships, so he had to build his own. In September, he sailed them against Britain. When the battle started, The British battered Perrys actual ship and left it to sink. Perry took his flag down and sailed to another American ship. He raised it there and continued to fight. Eventually, the U.S won. -
Battle of Thames.
When the British lost control of Lake Erie, the British and their ally Tecumseh fled from Detroit into Canada. General William Henry Harrisom, a veteran of Tippeconoe, followed. They fought them, and America won a clear battle, the Battle of Thames. In the battle, Tecumseh died. -
Horseshoe Bend
The Native Americans were fighting the Americans. A Tennessee officer, Andrew Jackson, commanded the U.S troops in the Creek war. In 1814, with the help of the Cherokees, U.S won a great victory at the battle of Horseshoe Bend. -
Washington, D.C. Attacked and Burned.
In the summer, the British arrived in Chesapeake Bay and landed an invasion force 30 miles away from Washington, D.C. The Americans met the British in Bladensburg, Maryland. President Madison watched the battle with his own eyes. The hard trained British beat the U.S and carried on to D.C. -
Attack on Baltimore.
After the attack on Washington, D.C., they moved to Baltimore. They first wanted to attack Fort McHenry, because it defended the city's harbor. British warships attacked the fort the whole night. An American, Francis Scott Key, watched the whole battle. He saw that the Americans had beaten the British off. -
Writing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
The American who watched the battle, Francis Scott Key, wrote a poem on the back of an envalope about the nights events. It became popular and was set into music. Eventually, the Congress made it the national anthem of the United States. -
Hartford Convention.
The British realized the blockade hurt New England's trade. They also thought the U.S. might get land in the south and Canada. Delagates from all over New England met in Hartford, Connecticut in Decemnber. They were mostly federalists. They didn't like the Republican president or the war. The delegates threatened to leave the Union if the war was still on. -
Treaty of Ghent
In Ghent, Belgium, people started talking of peace treaties. On Christmas Eve, both sides signed the treaty in Ghent, Belgium. -
Battle of New Orleans.
Late 1814, Britain wanted to attack New Orleans to sail up the Mississippi river. But the president Andrew Jackson turned his frontiersmen into a good army. He took Penescola in Flordia (owned by spain at the time) so the British couldn't use it as a fort. They marched through Mobile and set up a fort in New Orleans. All the thousands of frontiersmen and the citizens of New Orleans joined together to fight the approaching British. January 8th, they attacked. 2,000 British died, only 7 Americans.
