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President Madison takes office
In 1809 tension with Brtian was high when James Madison took office. Americans were were not happy with Britian because they were arming Native Americans in the Northwest. Americans were also upset by the impressment of American sailors by the British. -
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The War of 1812
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War Hawks Take Power
In 1810 Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina became leaders in the House of Representives. Clay and Cahoun's supporters were called War Hawks because of their obsession with war with England. Opposition to war was strongest in the northern states, they believed that war with England would harm American trade, -
Relations with Great Britian Worsen
During the ealier months of 1812 relations with Britian steadily got worse. In the spring the British told the Americans that they would continue impressing soliders. In the western states Native Americans began attacking the frontier settlers with the weapons the British gave them. -
America not Ready for War
At first the Americans thought that they would win the war, but soon they found out that they were not ready.Jefferson's spending cuts were lowered. He did not have as much to spend on weapons and armies. Because of this, the army had less than 7,000 men and they only had 16 warships ready for action. -
Britian Blockades American Ports
In the early days of war, the British set up a blockade along the American coast. A blockade is the action of shutting down a road, port, or other major transportation centers. Near the end of the war in 1814, the British reinforced their troops and closed off all American ports. -
Congress Declares War on Great Britian
In June of 1812 Congress declared war on Great Britian. It was not a good time for the British though, they were still at war in Europe. Even though the British did not want war they were not willing to meet the circumstances to aviod it. The British were still arming Native Americans to stop Americans from invading Canada. -
Invasion of Canada
In July of 1812, General William Hull and his American soliders invaded Canada from Detroit. Hull feared that he did not have enough soliders and that he would be defeated, so he turned back and went home. British commander, General Isaac Brock, took advantage of Hull's retreat. His army, made up of British and Native American soliders, surrounded Hull's army and forced it to surrender. Brock captured 2,00 American men. It was a terrible defeat for the U.S. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
At the beginning of the war a huge sea battle was fought.The USS Constitution defeated the British warship Guerriere in a powerful battle. The Constitution was nicknamed "Old Ironsides" because the British fire bounced off the ships thick hull. To the Americans sailing on it it seemed like the ship was made of iron. -
Second Battle of Sackets Harbor
In May of 1813, a British force transported acrossed Lake Ontario to try and capture the town of Sackets Harbor. Sackets Harbor was home to American naval squadron. the British were defeated by American regulars and militia. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The British and Americans were both aware of the power they would have if they controlled Lake Erie.A battle that lasted 3 hours took place in Put-In-Bay. During the 3 hour battle, the American Flagship was badly damaged. The commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, switched ships and continued to fight untill the battle was won. Now that the Americans were in control of the lake they forced the British to leave Detroit and go back to Canada. -
Battle of Thames
When the British and their Native Anerican allies retreated the Americans, lead under General William Henry Harrison followed them. The American army followed the British into Canada and defeated them in the battle of Thames. Tecumseh was one of the many people killed in the battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
the Native Americans in the South also suffered. During the summer of 1813, Creek warriors attacked many american settlements. Andrew Jackson took control of the of the american forces in Georgia. Im March 1814, Jackson defeated the Creek warriors in the battle of Hosreshoe Bend. the battle ended with a treaty that forced the Natives to give up millions of acres of land. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
The Battle of Fort Oswego was a partly successful British raid. Sir James Lucus Leo lead his troops acrossed Lake Ontario. They planned on docking early in the morning but a breeze came up and made it impossible for the ships to dock. The Americans were unsuccessful in stopping this attack. -
Washington D.C. Attacked and Burned
Britian's new strategy was to destory America's capital. in August 1814, a British force marched into Washington D.C. First Lady, Dolly Madison, gathered the President's most important papers and fled the area. the British set fire to many government buildings, including the White House. Americans were shocked that their army could not defend their own capital. -
The Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
On the back of an old envelope, Key (the young American who watched the Attack on Baltimore) wrote a poem that he called "The Star Spangled Banner" It told the story about the fierce battle that he had watched through the night. when the peom became popular it was set to music and made a song. in 1931 Congress made it the national anthem of the United States. -
Battle of Plattsburgh
Also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, the Battle of Plattsburgh ended the final invasion of the Northern states in the war. Captin George Downie lead his British troops to attack the city of Plattsburgh. Downie and his British army were defeated and Downie himself was killed. -
Attack on Baltimore
From Washing ton the British moved on to Baltimore. They first want to destory Fort McHenry, which defended the city's harbor. The British attacked the fort through the night of September 13, 1814. A young American named Francis Scott Key watched the attack. At, dawn Key saw the american flag still flying over Fort McHenry. the americans had defend their fort and beaten off the attack. -
Hartford Convention
In December, a group of Federalists met in Hartford, Connecticut. Some of the people thought that the New England states should secede from the United States. While the delegates debated this matter the news of the peace treaty arrived. Because the war was over there was no need for the Hartford Convention to continue. -
Treaty of Ghent
By December 1814 Britian had gotten tired of the war. Talks of peace began in Ghent (gehnt), Belgium. On Christmas Eve both sides signed the Treaty of Ghent, which endeed the War of 1812. The treaty of Ghent returned things to how they used to be in the United States. -
Battle of New Orleans
Before the news of the treaty got around to both sides they fought one final battle.It was the Battle of New Orleans. America, under General Andrew Jackson, won a stunning victory over the British.
