The War of 1812

By icaudle

  • U.S.S Chesapeake

    The Chesapeake sailed out of the harbor at Northfolk Virginia. American Commodore James Barron refused to allow his ship be searched for British deserters, so the English ship Leopard ripped into the side of Chesapeake.

  • Emabrgo Act

    Thomas Jefferson recommended and Congress passed the Emabrgo Act which forbade all American ships to leave for foreign ports

  • Election of 1808

    James Madison and his running mate, George Clinton, defested their Federalist opponents.

  • Nonintercourse Act

    Three days before he left office, Jefferson signed a congressional bill repealing the embargo. This allowed American trade with all the countries execpt France.

  • Madison Wanted a New Approach

    The Nonintercourse Act expired, and in May he signed a new measure which removed all restrictions on trade. If Britain and France did not respect the neutral terms of the United States then the President would cut off trade with the other.

  • Congress Meets

    Soon after Congress met, there was troubling in the Northwest. As settlers srrived in Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois, they forced Indians to leave their land. The tribes were pushed farther and farther west.

  • Madison Was Out of Options

    Madison was convinced that only one choice was left- war with Great Britain.

  • Battle of Tippecanoe

    William Henry Harrisom, governor of Indiana, led a force to Prophetstown and clashed with the pwerful Shawnee chief named Tecumseh. The Shawnee brothers had built a following and set up a camp called Prophetstown on Tippecanoe Creek in Indiana.

  • American Patience

    Throughout early 1812 american patience with Britain started to decline

  • Madison Received Shocking news

    Madison received word that the British stand on neutral rights remained inflexible.

  • Declaration of War

    Madison asked Congress for a Delcaration of War. The House quickly approved this declaration but in the Senate opposition to war was far stronger. Even though the New England States, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware all voted for peace, the southern and western states voted for war, and the numbers had to win.

  • Official Declaration

    Britain was having second thoughts about the war. Faced with depression, Britain decided to repeal the restrictions on trade. It was two late. President James Madison officially declared war on Britain.

  • America Launches Attack

    America launched a three-pronged attack on Britain

  • Election of 1812

    This election strongly reflected the oppositon of New England Federalists. Madison won the sencond term only because he carried the South and West

  • The American Coast

    By 1813 Britain had tightly blockaded the American coast frok Long Island to Georgia. This stopped both overseas trade and trade among the states, which depended on coastal water routes.

  • United States Finally Succeeded

    The United States finally had success in its Canada campaign. Captain Oliver H. Perry was ordered to prepare for battle on Lake Erie, but he had few ships. Witth lumber from oak trees and iron from barn door hinges, he had several ships built. When the British challenged Perry, his makeshift navy won the battle.

  • The Battle of Horseshoe Bend

    Andrew Jackson of the Tennessee militia led his troops against the Creek Indians, who were attacking settlers. This battle was costly for both sides, but Jackson won. The Creek were forced to cede about two thirds of their land. Jackson became a general in the United States Army.

  • America Invades Canada Again

    In April 1814 the British finally defeated Napoleon in Europe and could now send experienced troops to America. Before those troops could arrive, however, Americans tried once more to invade Canada. The five- hour battle ended in a draw, and the americans returned to Fort Erie and held it against British attacks.

  • British Forces Invade United States

    Since the summer of 1814, two British forces had invaded the United States- one from Canada and one along the Chesapeake Bay.

  • American Causes Becomes Hopeless

    Despite the victory on Lake Champlain and the standoff at Baltimore, the American cause seemed hopeless in the fall of 1814. More British troops were on the way to America, and the American treasury was empty.

  • Another British Force Invades

    In December a third British force cut through the Gulf of Mexico for an assault on New Orleans.

  • Convention in Hartford Connecticut

    Federalist delegates from several states met in Hartford, Connecticut. They proposed several constitutional amendments that would give New England a stronger voice in government. They also declared that if the national government threatened people's liberty or state's rights, the states could resist.

  • The Treaty of Ghent

    The Americans and British signed the Treaty of Ghent. John Quincy Adams wrote in his diary "I hoped it would be the last treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States".

  • American Victory at New Orleans

    British troops attacked Jackson's defenses. Protected by the trenches, Jackson's gunners waited until the British came into range, then unleashed a withering fire. After half an hour of battle, the British surrendered. This was shocking because two weeks earlier a treaty was signed and the war was over.