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The War of 1812
McKenzie LaDue
Period 2 -
President Madison takes office
Britain and America's relationship was very tense by the time President Madison came to office. The British had given Native Americans firearms, which the Americans were unhappy about. The British also continued the impressment of sailors, which Americans resented. -
War Hawks Take Power
Two war hawks, Henry Clay and John Calhoun, had become leaders in the House of Representatives. This increased the idea of going to war with Britain. Despite their election into the House, many New Englanders knew war would be bad for American trade. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
Already tense relations continued to get worse with Britain. They had told The United States that they would continue to impress American sailors. In the meantime, the Native Americans had begun to attack on American settlements. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
In June, Congress had declared war on Britain. America was quite confident that they could win this war. For Britain, however, the war couldn't have come at a worse time. They were still in the middle of a war themselves. -
America is not Ready for War
It was clear that the American's confidence wasn't going to last long. Thomas Jefferson's government spending cuts had included greatly decreasing the military's strength and size. The only readily avalible forces were 16 warships and a military of less than 7,000 men. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
In just the first days of war, the American coast was blockaded by British warships. In 1814, American ports were blockaded by 135 Britain warships. By the end of the war, all of America's ports had been blockaded by the British navy. -
Invasion of Canada
The invasion of Canada had been brought up by war hawks believing that Canadians would use it to throw off British rule. When General William Hull and over 2,000 soldiers were instructed to go through with the invasion, they retreated. They feared they were outnumbered but during the cofusion a British commander, General Brock, and his soldiers made the American troops surrender. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
In the North Atlantic Ocean two ships, the USS Constitution and the Guerriere, had been closing in on each other. Finally, the USS Constitution fired a barrage that ripped off both of the Guerriere's masts. In the meantime, the British shot cannonballs that didn't affect the USS Constitution at all. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The American navy had better luck on Lake Erie. During the battle at Put-In-Bay, one of the American Flagships was badly damaged. Oliver Hazard Perry, the American commander, switched to another ship to continue fighting. The American's won and had control of the lake, forcing the British to leave Detroit and retreat back to Canada. -
Battle of Thames
As the defeated British and their Native American allies retreated, the Americans chased after them. Following them into Canada, the Americans defeated them again in the Battle of Thames. Among those killed in the battle was Tecumseh, the Shawnee war chief. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
In the South, Native Americans also suffered defeat. When Creek warriors attacked southern American settlements, Andrew Jackson took command of forces in Georgia. The Americans scored another victory against the Creeks. As a bonus, the treaty that ended fighting, forced them to give up millions of acres of land. -
Washington, D.C Attacked & Burned
Britain now had a new plan that included attacking America's capital, Washington D.C. On the 24th, British troops invaded Washington. The President's wife, Dolley Madison, grabbed important papers and fled the White House just in time. The British burned not only the White House, but other government buildings as well. -
Attack on Baltimore
After the destruction of America's capital, the British marched on to Baltimore. Their first priority was to defeat Fort McHenry, which had been defending the harbor. All throughout the night, British warships were attacking the fort. -
The Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
Watching the attack was Francis Scott Key. By the time dawn came, he saw the American flag still above Fort McHenry. The Americans had won the battle. When he dicovered this, Key wrote a poem that he named "The Star-Spangled Banner", on the back of an envelope, describing the battle he witnessed that night. The poem was eventually put to music and became America's national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention took place in Connecticut when American delegates came to discuss the war. Some of the delegates thought that New England states withdrew from the United States. In the middle of the debating, news of the peace treaty arrived and the convention ended shortly after. -
Treaty of Ghent
Britain could no longer continue the war. On Christmas Eve both sides of the war signed the Treaty of Ghent, returning things back to the way they were before war. News of the treaty took a few weeks to reach the United States. -
Battle of New Orleans
Unaware that the Treaty of Ghent had been signed, another battle between the two countries was fought. American troops, led by Andrew Jackson, had defeated the British. This was the last battle in the War of 1812.
