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The War of 1812
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President Madison Takes Office
When James Madison became president he wanted the U.S. out of any war. The Americans felt they should stand up to other countries and they wanted a war with Britain. -
War Hawks Take Power
When Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun became leaders in the House of Representatives, they wanted a war with Britain. Other Americans like the New Englanders did not want a war with Britain because it could harm trade. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
The British started to supply Native Americans with weapons and they said they would continue to impress sailors. Plus,both countries disagreed over trade. -
Congress Declares War with Britain
When Congress declared war, this took the British by surprise and made it difficult because they could not find troops to fight the U.S. Plus, many Americans thought they would win and liked the idea of war. -
America is Not Ready for War
America had only a few warships ready and a small army.
This happened becuse of spending cuts cause by Thomas Jefferson. Plus, the Brtish has a much bigger navy and better trained men. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
The British blockaded American Ports and stopped trade. By the end of the war they were able to close all the American ports -
Invasion of Canada
In the invasion of Canada, because of General Hull's confusion, the Americans retreated and were defeated. The British then captured 2000 solidiers. The Americans invaded Canada because the war hawks wanted to and at Lake Erie they had better luck. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
At a major sea battle, the Americans were led by Issac Hull who defeated the British warship Guerriere, but even though they won it did little to win the war. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The Americans were led by Captain Oliver Hazard Perry. He had no fleet so he designed and build his own ships, but after his ship was battered he moved to a new ship and won. -
Battle of Thames
After the war hawks wanted to invade Canada the Americans followed the British into Canada with William Henry Harrison as their general. The battle was after the Battle of Lake Erie and the British were defeated. Yay! -
Horseshoe Bend
In the Creek War, Andrew Jackson commanded the American troops and the Cherokees helped them. The Creeks were fighting with the settlers, but Jackson eventually beat them and the leader of the Creeks surrendered. -
Washington D.C. Attacked and Burned
The British set fire to government buildings and the White House. The Americans could not protect Washington D.C The British also sailed their ships into Chesapeake Bay and met their troops at Bladensburg, Maryland. Plus, Dolley Madison gathered important papers before the whole entire white house was burned down. -
Attack on Baltimore
After the British marched north to Baltimore, they bombed Fort McHenry. This lasted til dawn and luckily the Americans beaten of the attack. -
Writing of the Spangled Banner
In the Battle of Baltimore, Francis Scott Key saw the battle and wrote a poem on the back of an old envelope. This poem was then set to music and made into the national anthem in 1931. -
Hartford Convention
In Hartford, Connecticut, Federalists met there and talked about how they disliked the Republican president and the war. They threatened to leave the union, but this ended quickly. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, Belgium. They agreed to restore prewar conditions, but said nothing about impressment of neutrality. This gave Americans new pride for the United States and news about the treaty ended the Hardford Convention. -
Battle of New Orleans
After the Treaty of Ghent was signed, it took weeks before it reached the states. So the Americans and the British had one last battle. At the battle Andrew Jackson and the Americans won.
