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The War of 1812
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President Madison Takes Office
Tension in Great Britain was high. Americans were angry at Britan for arming Native Americans in the Northwest. They also resented the continued impressment of American sailors by the Bristish. -
War Hawks Take Power
Calhoun, Clay and their supporters were called war hawks, peolple who looking forward to having war with Britain. Many New Englanders beleived war with Britain would hurt American trade. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
Relations with Great Britain worsened steadily in the early months of 1812. In spring the British told the U.S. they were going to continue impressing the sailors. Native Americans in the North West began new attacks on frontier settlments. -
Congress Delclares War on Britain
The war came at a bad time for the British, the were still at war in Europe. Britain wasnt willing to meet Americans demands to avoid war. Providing Native Americans with support was one of the ways of protecting Canada against an American invasion. -
America is not Ready for War
When war began Americans were confident tat they would win. But it turned out that the United States werent prepared for war. Jeffersons spending cuts weakened American military strength. The navy only had 16 warships ready. The army was also small with fewere than 7,000 men. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
In the first days of war the Bristish set up a blockade of the American coast. A blockade is the action of shutting a port or road to prevent people or supplies from coming into or leaving it. By 1814 the Bristish navy had 135 warships blockading American ports. After reinforcing their troops, the British were able to close off all American ports by the end of war. -
Invasion of Canada
Before the war began began war hawks demaded on invasion of Canada. The British commander, General Isaak Brock, took advantigof Hulls confusion. The British captured more than 2,000 American Soldiers. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
In August 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British warship Guerriere in a force battle. According to tradition, American sailors nicknamed the Constitution "Old Ironsides" because British artillery fire bounced off the ships thick wooden hull. To the Americans, it seemed as if the Constitution were made of iron. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Native Americans suffered defeat in the South. In the summer of 1813 Creek warriors attacked several Southern American settlments. Andrew Jackson took command of American forces in Georgia. In March 1814 he defeated the Creeks at the battle Horseshoe Bend. The treaty that ended the fighting forced the creeks to give off millions of acres of land. -
Washington, D.C. Attacked and Burned
The new British strategy was to attack the nations capital Washington D.C. In August 1814 a British force marched into the city. Dolley Madison the presidents wife gathered up the presidents important papers and fled the White House. The Britishset fire to many many government buildings, including the White House. Americans were surprised that their army couldnt defent Washington. -
Battle of Lake Erie
American forces had better luck on Lake Erie. Both sides knew that it was important to controll the lake. A three hour battle took place at Put-In-Bay in the Western part of the lake in 1813 -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key watched the Battle in Baltimore, on the back of an envolope he wrote a poem called "The Star Spangled Banner". This told the story of his nights watch. -
Hartford Convention
In December 1814 a group of federalists met Hartford Conneticut. Some workers to the Hartford Convention suggested that New England states scede, meaning withdraw, from the U.S. -
Treaty of Ghent
By 1814 Britain was sick of war. Peace talkes began in Ghent, Belgium. On Christmas Eve. 1814 the two sides signed the treaty of Ghent, which ended war. -
Battle of New Orleans
News of the Treaty of Ghent took many weeks to reach the United States. In that time, the two sides fought just one more battle. In January 1815, American forces uner Gneral Andrew Jackson won a wonderful victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans.
