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The War of 1812
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President Madison Takes Office
When James Madison took office in 1809, both America and Britain were furious at each other. He was also in charge when the battles and wars took place. -
War Hawks Take Power
Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun became leaders in the House of Representatives. Both them and their followers were war hawks, eager for war with Britain.They could be on the brink of war if the war hawks decided to push it. -
Relations With Great Britain Worsen
Britain told the United States in the spring that they would keep impressing sailors, no matter what they said. In addition, in the Northwest, Native Americans begin attacking frontier settlements. -
Congress Declares War On Britain
Because of Great Britain, Congress goes and decides to declare war on them. Both sides are ready to fight. -
America Is Not Ready For War
Although America thought they would win, they were completely wrong. They weren't prepared, because with Jefferson's spending cuts, the military was now too small in size and weak. Plus they didn't have that many warships. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
The British Navy blockades the ports with 135 warships. They managed to block all the American ports by the end of the war. -
Invasion of Canada
General William Hull of America invaded Canada from Detroit. He was afriad of the number of soldiers, so he retreated, confused. The British took the chance of capturing, surrounding, and forcing soldiers to surrender. -
USS Consitution Scores a Victory
The USS Constitution beat the British warship Gurriere in response to Britain blockading the American coast. The ship beat Britain so easily it was called "Old Ironsides." -
Battle of Lake Erie
Americans had taken control of Lake Erie, forcing Britain to retreat back to Canada. Although the American flagship was damaged, the U.S. fought until they won over the British. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Andrew Jackson defeated the Creeks in the south. Because of his victory over them, the Creeks had to give up millions of acres of land. The treaty that ended the fighting bound them to this promise. -
Washington, D.C, Attacked and Burned
Britain's main goal was to attack the nation's capital. They set fire to the White House and several other buildings. After that, they went to destroy Baltimore. -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
A young American named Francis Scott Key was there when the attacks happened, on night watch duty. He wrote a poem about how he saw the American flag being raised, which shows they defeated the British. His poem soon became the national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention was started by a group of Federalists met in Hartford. They discussed about how New England should separate from the U.S. Luckily they didn't have to wait long, because soon they got news of the treaty, and the convention ended. -
Treaty Of Ghent
Britain was tired of the war, and peace talks began floating around in Belgium. Both sides agreed to sign the treaty, and things began to run normal again. The war also stopped. -
Battle of New Orleans
Before the peace treaty reached the United States, the Americans had one more battle. They defeated the British in New Orleans.
