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President Madison takes office
When President Madison took office in 1809, the Americans are already mad with the British for arming Native Americans and for the impressment of American soldiers. -
Period: to
The War of 1812
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Warhawks Take Power
Most of America was already anti-British. most of them were from southern and western United States. They were urging for war with Britain. These people were called Warhawks. The Warhawks saw many advantages of war with Britain; capturing Florida from Britains close ally, Spain, and stopping the arming of Native Americans. -
Relations with Britain Worsen.
The British were supplying guns and ammunition to Native Americans. The United States and the Native Americans were fighting much more often now. The French made a deal with the United states that The U.S. would stop goods shipments to Britain if the French would stop overtaking U.S. ships. "Warhawks" favored war with britain -
Invasion of Canada
Before war, the Warhawks wanted to invade Canada. They believed that Canada would want to be done with the British rule, as they were. There were 2,000 soldiers under the command of General Hull. He became unsure of himself and retreated. Hull and his men were ambushed and forced to surrender. A serious loss for the U.S. -
Congress declares war on Britain
Relations with Britain get worse and worse. All shipments of goods to Britain have been halted. Warhawks were urging congress for war. Finally, on June 18, 1812, the U.S. declared war on Britain. -
America is Not Ready for War
President Jefferson's spending cuts weakened the military. The navy only consisted of 16 warships ready for battle, The army only consisted of 7,000 men, and the British set up a blockade around U.S. ports. -
Bristin Blockades U.S. Ports
In the early days of war, the british set up blockades on U.S. ports so no U.S. ships could leave the country. The Blockade also prevented help from all other european countries. eventually, every U.S. port was blockaded by 135 ships. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
USS Constitution defeated the British Warship, Guerriere.
Americans nicknamed the USS Constitution "old ironsides" because of how the British artillery bounced off of it like iron. It was a glorious win for the U.S. and for the USS Constitution -
The Battle of Lake Erie
The Battle of Lake Erie was a huge victory for the U.S.! Both sides wanted control of the lake. the American flagship, holding commander oliver hazard perry, was badly damaged. -
Battle of Thames
The british retreated with their Native American allies. The americans persued them into Canada. The Americans defeated the British with the help of General William Henry Harrison. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Andrew Jackson took control of American forces. He led them to a great victory against the "creeks". the Creeks had no choice but to give up millions of acres of land to the United States. -
Washignton D.C. Attacked and Burned
The British invade Washington D.C. up through the Chesapeake Bay. Dolley Madison flees with many important documents. The British set fire to many National Monuments including the white house.The British had defeated the Americans and were heading up the Chesapeak to attack Baltimore -
Attack on Baltimore
The British were heading up the Chesapeake Bay to attack Baltimore. The target for them was Fort McHenry. They bombarded the fort for a whole night. Come morning, the American Flag was still flying over the fort. The Americans had fought off the British -
The Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
The British was vigorously attacking for McHenry. The young Francis Scott Key watched the battle all through the night. He saw the flag still flying over the fort morning come. He wrote the Star Spangled Banner on the back of an olod envelope. The song became our National Anthem in 1931 -
Hartford Convention
In December 1814, in Hartford, Federalists had a convention. Some delagates suggested New England States withdraw from the United States. While they debated, news of a peace treaty arrived and the convention quickly ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
Britain had tired of war. talks of peace began with the U.S. in Ghent, Belgium. The treaty would make everything go back to how it was before the war. -
The Battle of New Orleans
The British wanted control of the Missisppi River to get into the interior of the country. Andrew Jackson, his experienced army, and the people of New Orleans dug trenches to wait until the british attacked. On January 8th, 1815, the British attacked. The British ended up losing over 2,000 men. The americans lost a total of 7. Andrew Jackson became famous in American history, although, by this time the treaty of ghent had already been signed in Belgium.