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President Madison takes office
Tension with Britain was high when James Madison took office in 1809. Americans were angry because the British armed Native Americans. They also resented the unjustful kidnapping of sailors by the British for their own personal benefits. -
Period: to
War of 1812
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War Hawks Take Power
The War Hawks were people who encouarged war with Britain. they were evildoers who were bloodthirsty for war. Two of the main War Hawks were Clay and Calhoun, who were also leaders in the House of Representatives. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
Britain is still kidnapping sailors and Native Americans are attacking the frontier. -
America is not Ready for War
Jefferson's spending cuts weakened the military. America had less than 7,000 men in the army and the Navy only had 16 warships. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
Congress declared war on Britain because of increased tensions and the events listed. This war was not good timing for the British because they were still at war in Europe. Britain did not want to compromise and avoid war. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
The British blockaded the American Coast so that we couldn't get supplies. Our economy would plumet because we could not trade or get necessities. -
Invaision of Canada
We raided the Canadians beccause Canada was owned by Britain. Americans were hoping the Canadians would become Allies and get rid of British rule. General William Hull invaded Canada from Detroit but was not confident. He was afraid and retreated. General Isaac Brock, a British commander, took advantage and forced Hull's army to surrender. They captured over 2,000 US Soldiers. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
In August, The USS Constitution was a ship that fought a battle against a British warship. The sailors nicknamed her "Old Ironsides" because it seemed like she was made out of iron. -
Second Battle of Sackets Harbor
Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor was when British forces tried to capture the town because it was a main dockyard. -
Battle of Lake Erie
There was a 3 hour battle at Put-In-Bay in the western part of lake Erie. An American ship was damaged and the commander Oliver Hazard Perry switched ships until he won. He said "We have met the enemy and they are ours". This was important because the British retreatedd back to Canada. -
Battle of Thames
William Henry Harrison chased the British into Canada and wond in the Battle of Thames. In this battle a Native American chief was killed. Tecumseh was trying to get Native Americans to fight to get their land back. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Creek warriors attacked American settlements. Andrew Jackson controlled forces in Georgia. Their was a battle at Horshoe Bend and the treaty that ended the fighting made the Native American give up millions of acres of land. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
While Lake Ontario was frozen Britain and America were building frigates to fight later on. Yeo and Drummond completed their frigates first and attacked Oswego because it was a shipping port and they wanted the guns. The British ended up with a lot of supplies. -
Washington D.C. Attacked and Burned
Britain decided to attack Washington. Dolley Madison, the president's wife, gathered important papers and ran with them right before the British set fire to the White house. -
Battle of Plattsburg
Battle of Plattsburgh is also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain. It ended the final invasion of the northern states. British General George Prevost attacked on September 11th but was defeated. That gave us leverage for the Treaty of Ghent. -
Attack on Baltimore & the Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
The British went to Baltimore and attacked Fort McHenry. Warships attacked all night. Francis Scott Key saw the battle and saw the flag still flying in the morning. He wrote the "Star Spangled Banner" on the back of an envelope. In 1931 it became the national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
Federalists met in Hartford Connecticut to discuss displeasure with the war. The New England states wanted to withdraw from the US but then they heard about the peace treaty and the convention ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
Peace talks started in Ghent, Belgium. On Christmas Eve they signed the treaty that ended the war. It took awhile for the United States to find out about the treaty so they fought a few other battles in the meantime including the Battle of New Orleans. -
Battle of New Orleans
General Andrew Jackson defeated the British Army and kept them from taking the largest land purchase since the Louisianna Purchase. It is known as the greatest land victory of the war but actually happened after the treaty of Ghent was signed.
