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The War of 1812
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President Madison Takes Office
When President Madison took office tension was high with Britain. Americans were angry at Britain for arming Native Americans in the Northwest. Americans were also upset at the British for impressment of the American sailors by the British. -
War Hawks Take Power
The war hawks take power. Strong nationlists like Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina became leaders of the House of Representatives. They were called war hawks. War hawks were those who were eager for with war Britain. Opposition to war was strongest in New England. Many Englanders believed war with Britain would harm American trade. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
The British and Americans relationship worsened while the war went along. In the spring the British told the Americans they would continue on impressing of sailors. Meanwhile Native Americans in the Northwest began new attacks on frontier settlements. The British where also supplying guns to Native Americans to fight against Americans. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
Congress declared war on Britain starting the War of 1812. The war didn't come at a good time for Britain because they were still at war with Europe. Even though they were at war Britain wasn't willing to meet Americans demands to avoid war. Britain was also helping Native Americans with support of protecting Canada against an American invasion. -
America is not Ready for War
When the war began Americans thought they were going to take the crown. Then it soon began apparent that the United States was not perpared for war. Jefferson's spending cost weakened the military strength. The navy was also weak, they had only sixteen warships ready for action. The army was small with fewer then 7,000 men to fight. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
On the first day of the war Britain set up blockades on the American coast. A blockade is the action of shutting a port or road to prevent people or supplies from coming in or going out. The blockade of the ports couldn't allow the United States to get goods in and out. After reinforcing troops the British were able to close off all of American ports by the time the war ended. -
Invasion of Canada
American troops under General William Hull invaded Canada from Detriot. General Hull was unsure fearing he didn't have enough soldiers he soon retreated. British commander General Isaac Brock took advantage of Hull's confusion. His army and Native Americans quickly surrounded Hull's army and forced them to surrender. The British captured more than 2,000 American soldiers. It was a serious defeat for the United States. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
The Americans sailors defeated the British warship Guerriere in a fierce battle in the North Alantic Ocean for hours. The American sailors nicknamed the Constitution ''Old Ironsides'' because British artillery fire bounced off the ships thick wooden hull. To the Americans it seemed like the Constitution was made of iron. The Constitution was more than two feet thick at the water line and was made up of three layers of extremely tough and durable oak wood. -
Battle of Lake Erie Part 1 of 2
The Battle of Lake Erie was a key three hour battle. It took place at Put-In-Bay in the western part of the lake. During the course of the battle the Americans flagship was badly damaged. American commander Oliver Hazard Pevry switched to another ship and continued to fight until the battle was won. He announced his victory in a dramatic message: "We have met the enemy and they are ours". -
Battle of Lake Erie Part 2 of 2
With the Americans in control over Lake Erie the British were forced to leave Detroit and go back into Canada. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
In the Battle of Horseshoe Bend Andrew Jackson by then was the commander of the American forces in Georgia. Jackson defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The treaty that ended the fighting forced the Creeks to give up millions of arces of land. -
Washington, D.C. Attacked and Burned
The new British strategy was to attack Washington D.C., the nation's capital. In August 1814 British forces marched into the city. Dolly Madison the First Lady at the time gathered her husband's important papers and ran. The British set fire to a lot of government buildings. Americans were shocked to learn that their army couldn't defeat Washington, D.C. -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner Part 1 of 2
The British were bombing Fort Mchenry which defeated the city harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. Throughout the night their warships bombarded the forts. Francis Scott Key watched the attack, he was a young American. At dawn Key saw the American flag still flying over the fort. The Americans had beaten off the attack. On the back of an old envelope Key wrote a poem that he called ''The Star Spangled Banner''. It told a story of his night watching the battle. -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner Part 2 of 2
The poem became very popular and it was set to music. In 1931 Congress made it the National Anthem of the United States. -
Hartford Convention
A group of Federalists met in Hartford, Connecticut. Some delegates to the Hartford Convention suggested that the New England states secede or withdraw from the United States. While they debated, the news of the peace treaty arrived with the war over the Hartford Convention quickly ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
Peace talk began in Ghent, Beligum because Britain was tired of war. On Christmas Eve the two sides signed the Treaty of Ghent which ended the war. The treaty returned things to what they were before war broke out. -
Battle of New Orleans
News of the treaty saying the war was over took several weeks to reach the United States. In that time the Americans and the British fought one more battle called the Battle of New Orleans. American forces under General Andrew Jackson won a stunning victory over the British.
