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Period: to
The War of 1812
Emily Bradshaw
Period 9 -
President Madison takes office
When James Madison took office the tensions with Britain were high. Many Americans felt a sense of nationalism. Some were also war hawks, people that want war with Britain. They felt angry that Britain was arming Native Americans. But, some New Engladers felt war with Britain would hurt trade. -
War Hawks Take Power
John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay felt nationalism. They felt it so much that they were war hawks. They both became leaders in the House of Representatives. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
Realations with Britain slowly got worse. The British told the United States that they would not stop impressing sailors. Also, Native Americans started attacks. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
The U.S declared war because the British continued to impress sailors. Native Americans continued to attack. Although it would hurt trade the war hawks got there way and the war of 1812 was started. -
America is not Ready fo War
At first America was confident they would win the war. Soon they realized Jeffersons cuts had weakend the militarys strength. The navy had 16 warships for war and Britain had more than 135. Also, the army was small with only 7,000 men. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
A blockade is the shutting of a port or road to prevent supplies from coming or going. The British had 135 warships blockading the American coast. After renforcing their troops they were able to close off all ports. -
Invasion of Canada
The first attempt to invade Canada was a failure. Due to only having 2,000 soilders they were captured. This was a loss for the U.S. The second attempt was a success. The U.S were able to take Lake Erie. This forced the British to retreat from Detorit and move into Canada. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
The USS Constitution beat the British warship Guerriere. It was a tough battle but the Americans pulled through. Based on tradition the U.S warship was nicknamed "Old Ironsides". It was nicknamed this because the artillery fire seemed to bounce off. -
Battle of Lake Erie
This was an important battle that took place at the western-part of the lake. The American commander was Oliver Hazard Perry. The American flagship was badly damaged during the war, so they changed ships and continued fighting. The Americans winning this war was very important. This caused the British to retreat into Canada. -
Battle of Thames
Altough the British were moving back into Canada the Americans followed them. Under the leading of General William Henry Harrison they won the Battle of Thames. Tecumseh was killed in battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Creek Warriors attacked several American settlements in the South. Andrew Jackson took charge of the U.S forces in Georgia. The Americans won this battle. Also, the treaty that ended fighting caused the Creeks to give up lots of land. -
Washington D.C Attacked and Burned
Now that the British had defeated Napoleon their new plan was to attack the capital, located in Washington D.C. As Dolley Madison, the Presidents wife, collected important papers and fled the British marched in. They burned the White House and other government buildings. This was a shock to the Americans that the U.S army could not protect the capital. -
Attack on Baltimore
Now, the British moved to Baltimore with their sights on Fort McHenry. This fort defended Baltimore's harbor. As British warships bombarded the fort the attack continued over night. Francis Scott Key watched the attack. At dawn he saw the American flag still flying. We had beaten off Britain's attack. -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key, who had watched the attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore, worte a poem on what he saw. The poem was written on an old envelope. This poem became so popular it was later put to music. The U.S Congress then declared it our national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
This was a group of Federalists that met in Hartfort, Connecticut. Some delegates thought the New England states should withdraw from the U.S. Others discussed the new peace treaty. With the war over this convention was quickly ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
The British got tired of the war. Peace talks began in Ghent, Belgium. Both sides signed the Treaty of Ghent and things went back to how they were before. -
Battle of New Orleans
Although the treaty had been signed, it took several weeks for the news to get to the U.S. In that time one more battle was fought. Under Andrew Jackson the U.S forces won an amazing victory over britain in New Orleans.
