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Period: to
The War of 1812
Madison LeRoy
period 6 -
President Madison takes office
There was high tensions with Britian when President Madison took office. Many Americans were mad at Britian for arming Native Americans in the Northwest. Americans also continued to impress the American soilders by the British. -
War Hawks Take Power
Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun as well was there supporters were called war hawks. War Hawks were people who were eager for war with Britian. -
Relations with Great Britian Worsen
During the spring Britian told the Untied States that they would continue impressing sailors. In the Northwest Native Americans at that time were beginning new attacks on the frontier settlements. In June Congress declared war on Britian. The British were still at war with Europe when they declared it with the Untied States. Britian was not willing to meet American demands to avoid war. -
Congress Declares War on Britian
Britian was not willing to meet American dewmand to avoid war. Native Americans got supprt by protecting Canada from an American invasion. Americans had strong hope that they were gonna win. The United States was not prepared for war. Jeffersons spending cuts had weakened American military strength. The navy only had 16 warships ready for action. army was also small with fewer than 7,000 men. -
America is not Ready for War
There was a major sea battle at the beginning of war. In August the USS Constitution defeated the British warship the Guerriere. Also during that time the Americans and British fought for control of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River but both sides had the Native American allies. -
Britian Blockades American Ports
During the beginning of the war the British set up a blockade on the American coast. A blockade is the action of shutting a port or road to prevent people or supplies from coming into an area or leaving it. By 1814 the British troops had 135 warships blockading the American ports. By the end of the war the Britsh were able to close all of the American ports. -
Invasion of Canada
Before the war began the war hawks wanted to invade Canada. They were expecting Canadians to welcome the chance to throw off British rule. Under General Willioam Hull American troops invaded Canada from Detroit. Hull feared he didn't have enough soilders so he soon came back. The British troops took advantage of the Americans retreat and so the British troops surrounded the American troops and made them surrender. The British captured more than 2,000 soilders. -
US Constitution scores a victory
There was a major sea battle at the beginning of war. In August the USS Constitution defeated the British warship Guerriere. During this time in the west the Americans and the British fought for control of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.According to tradition the sailors nicknamed the Constitution "Old Ironies" because the British troops fired at the boat and the shot bounced off the ships thick wooden hull. To the Americans, it seemed as if the Constitution was made of iron. -
Battle of Lake Erie
During the Battle of Lake Erie the American flagship was damaged very badly. The American Commander Olive Hazard Perry switched to another ship to continue the fight until it was won. Olive announced his flight very dramatically. The message read "We have met the enemy and they are ours." When the Americans gained control of the lake, the British were forced to retreat and head back to Canada. -
Battle of Thames
As the British and Native Americans headed back to Canada the Americans followed the British into Canada they defeated the in the Batlle of Thames. Tecumseh was one of those killed in battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
General Andrew Jackson led troops consisting of 2,600 American soldiers, 500 Cherokee, and 100 Lower Creek allies up a hill. Jackson would begin his attack on the enemies. Andrew Jackson defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. This was the treaty that ended the fighting that forced the Creeks to give up millions of acres of land -
Washington D.C. Attacked and Burned
Britians strategy was to attack Washington D.C. the country's capital a British force marched into the city. Dolley Madison (the president at the time) and his family gathered all the important papers and fled the White House. Later the British had set fire to several government buildings including the White House. Many other Americans were shocked to hear that there troops couldn't defend the British. -
Attack on Baltimore
The British moved from Washington to Baltimore. There first plan was Fort McHenry which defended the citys harbors. -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. At this time he saw the end of this battle. He saw that when the Americans were fighting there flag was still standing at the fort. He decided to write a poem on the back of an old envelope. It toke over 4 weeks for the news of the U.S. winning to get to the United States. By that time the Star Spangled Banner was popular and put to music. Later Congress decided to name it the National Anthem. -
Hartford Convention
During the Hartford COnvention it was a meeting in Hartford. It was where there was a group of men who were decided that if the Americans signed the treaty of ghent than they could be even and be peaceful. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was written on Christmas Eve. The Treaty consisted of when the Americans and Ghent signed the Treaty then the two countries would have peace. The two countries signed and so they were even. By the time the news had traveled to the U.S. they had gone to battle two other times. The two counties in the end werre equal. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was small and won easily by the Americans. They fought hard won the battle with general Andrew Jaclson helping them and leading them throughout the battle.
