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The War of 1812
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President Madison Takes Office
Americans were angry at Britain for arming the Native Americans in the Northwest. The Americans resented the impressment of the sailors (American) by the British. Most of the Americans thought that the country's honor was at rest. In 1810 two nationalists became the leaders of the House of Representives. They were Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. Most people from England thought the British would hurt the American trade. -
War Hawks Take Power
One goal of the War Hawks was to defeat Canada. They were convinced that Canada would take the chance to welcome the British. Why they did that was to throw the British off. The United States planned to invade Canada at these points which were Detroit, Niagra River, and Montreal. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
The war didn't come at a good time for the British. They were still at war in Europe, but Britain was not willing to meet the Americans.One way the British was providing help to the Native Americans was by fighting against the Americans in an invasion. When the war began the Americans were sure they were going to win the war. After that it was obivious that the United States was not prepared. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
A major sea battle was going on at the beginning of the war. In 1812 The USS Constitution defeated The British warship Guerriere. Americans named the Constitution the Old Ironsides. The British artillery fire bounced off the ships. To the Americans the Constitution was made of iron -
America is not Ready For War
The American declaration took the British by surprise. They were locked in a bitter struggle with Napolean. As the war began, the United States faced some diffulculties. Jefferson believed in a small government. Also he reduced spending on defense, the United States was not ready for war. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
The British Navy blockaded the Americans because they wanted the trading to stop. The American Navy was unable to break the blockaded, but many of the sea captains won a lot of victories. One of the battles took place in August 1812. As the Americans were sailing they spotted the British. They also saw there ship the Isaac Hull. -
Invasion of Canada
General William Hull moved the American troops into Canada. The Canadians only had a few untrained troops, but they were clever and skillfull. Brock paraded his soliders in red coats. Also the British troops were helping the Canadians. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
The USS defeated the British warship. The British fire bounced back at their ship. The Constitution was named the Old Ironsides. According to the tradition the Constitution was the Americans ship. To the Americans it seemed to the Constitution was made of iron. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The Americans set out to win control. Oliver Hazard Perry had no fleet. He designed and bulit his own ships. He sailed his fleet against the British. During the battle the British battered Perry's ship and left it. Perry took his flag down and sailed to the American ships. -
Battle of Thames
After losing control of Lake Erie, the British and their ally Tecumesh retreated. The Americans won a decisive victory. Tecumesh died in the fighting. -
Horsehoe Bend
Jackson defeated the creeks at the battle of the Horseshoe Bend. The treaty ended. They were fighting for the creeks. The creeks gave up millions of acres of their land. In 1814 the British finally defeated Napolean. This made Britain send a lot more troops across the Atlantic to fight against the United States. -
Washington D.C Attacked and Burned
In the summer of 1814 the British ships sailed into Cheaspeake Bay. They landed and invaded about 30 miles from Washington D.C. The American troops met Madison himself. The British quickly scattered. The British met a little further resistance as they went on. -
Attack on Baltimore
The strategy for the British was to attack the nation's capital. Dolly Madison, the presidents wife, gathered up everyone in the White House. The British moved to Baltimore. Their first stop was at Fort McHenry, which defended the city's harbor. The British bombarded Francis Key, a young American. -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
From the evening on September 13 until dawn, the British rockets bombarded the harbor. When the morning fog lifted the stripes and stars of the flag hung over the Fort McHenry . The British withdrew with Francis Scott Key. The Star Spangled Banner was set to music and adopted as the national anthem of the U.S -
Hartford Convention
Some delegates went to Hartford. While the delegates debated, news of the treaty arrived. To some Americans the war ended quickly. Once and for all the United States secured its independence. Now the European nations have to treat the repuplic with respect. -
Treaty of Ghent
One of the people in the treaty was John Adams, and he was an American. Ghent summed up the treaty in one sentence. The sentence was "nothing was adjusted nothing was settled". Britain and the US agreed to restore pre-war conditions. These issues went away after the Napolenic wars in Europe. -
Battle of New Orleans
British prepared to attack New Orleans. From there they hoped to sail up the Mississippi. Andrew Jackson was waiting for the British. Jackson turned his fighters into a strong army. He went to Florida to keep the British from using it as a base.
