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Period: to
The War of 1912
Morgan Familo
Period 3 -
President Maddison takes office
James Maddison took office in 1809, just as tensions were growing in Britain. Americans were angry because Britain was supplying arms to Native Americans in the Northwest. They also continued impressing American sailors. -
War Hawks Take Power
War hawks (those who were eager for war with Britain) took office in 1810. Two strong nationalists, John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, became leaders in the House of Representatives. Calhoun and Clay, along with their supporters were called war hawks. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
The United States and Britian grew closer to war. The British continued to board American ships and impress the American sailors. And, the Native Americans began attacks on frontier settlements in the Northwewst. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
Britian was surprised when America Declared war on them. Due to the government's reduction in spending, the Americans did not have alot of money to spend on preparing for the war. The U.S. only had sixteen small ships, compared to a giant British fleet. It was because the American army was small and not properly equipped, the British army was able to overtake them and block the American ports. -
America is not Ready for War
The United States declared war on Britian, even though Britian was still at war in Europe. Americans were confident they would win this war. But, the U.S. soon discovered that they were not prepared as their army was small and was not equiped to fight this war. The U.S. realized they were in trouble. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
The British blockaded American ports the first day at war. America's navy of about 16 warships was much smaller than Britains navy of around 135 warships. The British over took the Americans ports, ceasing all trade. -
Invasion of Canada
American General William Hull, with his troops invaded Canada. Once in Canada, Hull retreated, as he didn't think he had enough soldiers to win. General Isaac Brock had his British soldiers, along with the Native American Warriors surround Hulls army and forced them to surrender. About 2,000 American soldiers were captured by the British. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
The USS Constitution defeated the British warship, Gueriere, in a major battle. American soldiers nicknames the USS Constitution "Old Ironside", This nickname was choosen as it was said that British artillery fire bounced off the ships hull, as if it were made of iron.. -
Battle of Lake Erie
American commander Oliver Hazard Perry lead American fordces into a short three hour battle at Put-In-Bay, on Lake Erie. Although the American flagship was damaged during the battle, Commander Perry switched to another ship to continue fighting until the Americans won. Commander Perry announced the victory, America had won control over Lake Erie. -
Battle of Thames
Once the Battle of Lake Erie was over, the British and their Native American allies retreated into Canada. The British army did not know that the Americans were following them, under the instruction of General Harrison. The Americans defeated the British in the Battle of Thames. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
At this time, there was conflict in the South. The Native Americans were suffering from defeat. Creek warriors attacked a number of southern American Settlements. Andrew Jackson lead the American forces in Georgia, and defeated Creek warriors at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The Creek warriors gave up millions of acres of land in the treaty that ended this battle. -
Washington, D.C. Attacked & Burned
came up with a new strategy. They decided that they would attack Washington, DC, the nations capital. British soldiers went into the city and set fire to many of the government buildings, including the White House. The presidents wife, Dolly Maddison, was able to gather some of the important documents and escape the area. It was a shock to the Americans that they were unable to defend their capital. -
Attack on Baltimore
The British wanted to destroy Fort McHenry, as it defended the harbor. To do this, the British bombarded the harbor, with their warships, though the night. In the morning, the American flag was still flying over the fort. The Americans had won this attack. -
The Writting of the Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key witnessed the attack on Fort McHenry. And, when he was the American Flag flying over the fort the morning after the attack, he was inspired to write a poem, describing the attack. The poem was titled "The Star-Spangled Banner". Due to the poems popularity, it was set to music. In 1931, this song became the United States national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
Some Federalists were against the war. And, as the war dragged onk, they were very upset as the blockade had hurt the new Englad trade very much. As a result, Federalists met in Hartfort, Connecticut to discuss the problems. Some of them suggested that the New Englad states should withdraw from the United States. But, as they heard that the peace treaty had been signed and the war was over, the Hartford Convention quickly ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
Britian was getting tired of fighting the war. The Britians and the Americans met in Ghent, Belgium to begin peace talks. Both sides agreed to return things to the way they were before the war began, signed the peac treaty, and ended the war. -
Battle of New Orleans
Unfortunately, it took several weeks for the news of the peace treaty to reach in United States. During this time, the Battle of New Orleans took place. General Jackson lead the Americans to a victory over the British.
