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Washington's Proclimation of Neutrality
As tensions in Europe continued to escalate, war quickly broke out between France and many European nations, including Great Britain. Before this war, Americans traded with both France and Great Britain. Because of this and his need to prevent war, Washington declared neutrality regarding the European conflicts. He even went so far as to say any American citizen who aids any conflicting nation will be punished by law. -
The Jay Treaty
John Jay made the Jay treaty with Great Britain during the Washington administration. This treaty was meant to remove Great Britain from American territories, pay prewar debts owed to British merchants, and open British ports for American trade. This treaty was very controversial among American citizens because the Republicans did not think it represented their interests, and thought it went against their treaty of neutrality with France. -
Washingtons Farewell Adress
When Washington ended his second term as president, he decided to give one final address to the nation with advice on how they should handle their affairs. He made two main points in this address, the first being that Americans should avoid political parties, and the second being that the nation should avoid permanent alliances. He thought it was best to maintain neutrality with different countries to prevent U.S. involvement in wars and conflicts. -
Impressment of Sailors
For years after America declared neutrality in the conflicts between France and Great Britain, the two countries seized U.S. ships headed for the countries they were fighting. Neither country wanted the United States to trade with their enemies. Great Britain even took sailors off American ships and forced them into the British navy. The U.S. did what they could to stop this but nothing worked. This led to growing tensions between the two countries and caused the War of 1812. -
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
The British warship called the Leopard, boarded and raided the USS Chesapeake. The Chesapeake surrendered after just one shot and the British took four of the sailors, eventually hanging one of them. This made Americans extremely angry, and eventually led to the embargo of 1807. -
Embargo Act of 1807
Durring the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, there was a lot of conflict with the U.S., Great Britain, and France. There was a war between Great Britain and France. The United States was trying to stay neutral, but both countries were seizing our ships. Jefferson placed the embargo, which completely stopped foreign trade in the United States. He hoped to force these nations to respect our neutrality and stop their seizing of American ships. The embargo was unsuccessful and only hurt Americans. -
War Hawks
After Jefferson implemented the embargo, many of the members of the 12th Congress came together wanting more aggressive action. This group was known as the war hawks. The War Hawks wanted to attack the British colonies in Canada. Led by Henry Clay, this group wanted control over northern territories, which was their main motivation for war with Great Britain, but they also wanted war because of the British impressment on sailors. -
Tecumseh (1) Tippecannoe Battle
In response to Americans entering native lands, Tecumseh decided to rally Native American forces to fight back against the Americans. This led William Henry Harrison to lead the Americans into battle against the Natives. Eventually, the natives called for a cease-fire but then raided the unsuspecting American soldiers at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The Americans won the battle and left the town in ruins. This persuaded Tecumseh and his people to Join Great Britain in the War of 1812. -
War of 1812 Begins
The United States eventually declared war on Great Britain in response to the way the British were treating the United States during the British wars with France. The British were impressing American sailors and they had orders that limited American trade with Europe. This made tensions rise, and eventually, the United States attacked the British colonists in Canada, causing the start of the War of 1812. -
Tecumseh (2) Battle of Lake Erie
After the Battle of Tippecanoe, Tecumseh fled to Canada. There he allied with British forces and convinced many Natives to do the same. When Harrison's army started invading Canada, during the War of 1812, Tecumseh and his Natives fought with the British. Harrison eventually won this battle, and Tecumseh was killed while helping lead the army. This caused the United States to gain control of the Northwest and led to the relocation of Native tribes west past the Mississippi River. -
The Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention was a meeting between a group of Federalist delegates, who were unhappy with James Madison's decisions and the progression of the War of 1812. They agreed to write a list of resolutions, but when the battle of New Orleans was won by American soldiers, the conflict subsided and so did their need for resolutions. This group became very unpopular among the people and eventually contributed to the fall of the Federalist Party. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812. In this treaty, the two nations decided to give back any conquered land and decided the boundary between the United States and Canada. The war did not end with any definite winner, but the Americans were mostly happy with the results because the Great Lakes region was opened for their expansion. This treaty was signed in December of 1814, there was another battle in January 1815 because the news of the treaty took a while to cross the Atlantic Ocean. -
Battle of New Orleans
Towards the end of the War of 1812, the British planned to attack New Orleans. General Andrew Jackson quickly pulls together an army to fight back against the British. The American army eventually won this battle, and this ended up being the last major battle in the war. This was a major win for the United States and it led to the end of the War of 1812. This meant that the British were not able to take away the critical port in New Orleans, because if they did it would hurt American trade.