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President Madison takes office
James Madison was the 4th president to take office. The U.S. had decided to go to war with Britain. Tension between the two countries was very high. The United Stated had alo decided to stop impressment of sailors. All of this made James Madison's job as president much harder. -
War Hawks Take Power
Two nationalists named John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay were now leaders in the House of Representatives. The two men and their followers were called war hawks. War hawks were people who wanted to go to war with Britain. Many people in New England wanted to go to war with Britain. However, most thought it would hurt the United States more than it would help them. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
In 1812 the relationship between the United States and Great Britain began to go down hill. Britain told the the U.S. that they would keep impressing sailors. Native Americans even attacked frontier settlements. It was clear that the future between the two countries was not good. -
America is not ready for War
At first the U.S. was certain that they were going to win the war against Britain. But they soon began to realize that they were not as prepared as they thought. The spending cuts that President Jefferson had made had a big affect on the U.S. military. The military had only 16 warships. Plus, they had a very small army woth only 7,000 men. It finally became clear that the United States was not ready for war with Great Britain. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
In the June of 1812 the U.S. declared war on Britain due to the tension between the two countries. Britain was still at war with Europe. This made it very difficult for them to be at war with two countries at once. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
Just in the first few days of the War of 1812 the British had set up a blockade of the the American coast. By August,1814, there were 135 British ships blockading American ports. By the end of the war, however, the British ended up closing off all American ports. -
Invasion of Canada
War hawks had demanded an invasion of Canada even before the war of 1812 began. In July, 1812, Americans invaded Canada under the command of General Willian Hull. However, General Hull was unsure whether he had enough soldiers and General Isaac Brock took advantage of his nervousness. General Brock was a British commander. He. his troops, and a group of Native Americans surrounded Hull's army and forced them to surrender. Plus, 2,000 American soldiers were captured. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
In August of 1812, after a disapointing loss to the British, the United States defeated Great Britain. There was a sea battle: the USS Constitution against the Guerriere. Traditionally the USS Constitution was called "Old Ironsides" due to its srong exterior. -
Second Battle of Sackets Harbor
The Battle of Sakets Harbor took place on May 29. 1813. Sackets Harbor was the base for the American naval sqadron. The British crossed Lake Ontario, trying to capture the town. In the end the Brtitish were driven back by the Americans and did not capture the town. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The Battle of Lake Erie was a three hour long battle. During the battle, the American flagship was damaged. Since the flagship was damaged, the American commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, changed ships and fought until the battle had been won. -
Batlle of Thames
The Battle of Thames was fought after the Americans followed the British into Canada. The Americans defeated the Britishin this battle. During this battle Shawnee war chief, Tecumseh was killed. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Native Americans were defeated in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The Creek warriors attacked southern American settlements. The American commander, Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek warriors at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Unfortunately, the treaty that ended the Battle meant the Creek warriors giving up land. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
The British were semi-successful at the Battle of Fort Oswego. It took place May 6, 1814. The British were led by James Lucas Yeo and the Americans were led by Isaac Chauncey. When the British planned attack on Sackets Harbor fell through, they decided to attack Fort Oswego. By attacking Oswego, Yeo and Lieutenant General Drummond would seize Chauncey's guns. Yeo's army arrived on May 5. Bad weather postponed the attack until May 6. The British destroyed the fort and left Oswego on May 7. -
Washington, D.C. Attacked & Burned
In August 1814, the British set fire to White House and several government buildings. Before the White House was burned down. Dolley Madison, the president's wife, fled the White House with all of President Madison's important papers. The Americans could not defend the nation's capitol against the British army. -
Battle of Plattsburgh
The last battle of the War of 1812 was the Battle of Plattsburgh. The attack began early on the 11th of September. British Captain George Downie was killed. In the end, the Americans defeated the British. The victory meant that the British could not claim any more American territory. -
Attack on Baltimore & the Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
After attacking Washington D.C. the British decided to attack Baltimore. On September 13, the British attacked Fort McHenry While the attack was going on, Francis scott Key was watching. The next morning Key wrote, "The Star Spangled Banner", after he saw the American flag still flying after the attack. -
Hartford Convention
For the Hartford Convention, Federalists met in Hartford, Connecticut. Here, deligates debated whether the New England States should withdrawl from the United States. While debating, they heard of the peace treaty from Britain. After this the Hartford Convention ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
America and Britain started talking about making peace in Ghent, Belgium. The treaty was signed on Christmas Eve. The war had officially ended. -
Battle of New Orleans
Before news of the peace treaty reached the U.S., the United States and Britain fought one more battle. The two counries fought the Battle of New Orleans in January of 1815. Under the direction of Andrew Jackson they defeated the British.
