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Period: to
March 1, 1809 to January 31, 1815
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President Madison Takes Office
James Madison set anger and stress when he became the president.
Americans were very mad because Britain was trying to kill Native Americans in the Northwest.
Americans felt proud of their country.
Americans were glad of the good work by their American sailors near the British.
The country was known honorable by Americans. -
War Hawks Take Power
Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina became leaders in the House of Representatives in 1810.
Clay, Calhoun, and the people who support them wanted war with Britain.
Opposition to war was huge in New England.
A lot of New Englanders thought war with Britain would ruin American trade.
In early 1812, the communications with Britain got really bad. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
In the first few months of 1812, relations with Great Britain got bad.
In the spring the British said they would continue impressing sailors in the United States.
Native Americans started attacks on frontier settlements.
In June, Congress began war on Britain.
The British continued war in Europe. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
President James Madison asked Congress to declare war on Britain.
In the House of Representatives, the votes were 79 votes for war, and 49 not for war.
The Senate voted 19 to 13 for war.
Americans knew winning war would be difficult.
Some people fired off cannons and danced in the cities because they were so excited for war. -
America is not Ready for War
The British were surprised about war. The British couldn't get troops to go against the Americans.
Thomas Jefferson wanted a small federal government.
Thomas Jefferson didn't think America was ready for war.
The Americans had a small and weak army.
The U.S. government was relying on volunteers to fight the war.
Young men really wanted to volunteer, but they weren't well trained. A lot of these men left after a few months anyways. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
The British navy blockaded American ports because they wanted to stop Americans from trading with different countries.
The Americans couldn't get out of the blockade.
Many sea captains won great victories.
This started a famous battle.
This battle is when the USS Constitution wins victory. -
Invasion of Canada
General William Hull sent American troops to invade Canada.
General William Hull didn't know if he would have enough soldiers, so he retreated.
General Isaac Brock's British soldiers, and Native American warriors surrounded Hulls army and caused it to surrender.
The British got more than 2,000 American soldiers.
This was a serious defeat for the Americans. -
USS Constitution Scores A Victory
Isaac Hull was captain of the Constitution.
Isaac Hull saw the Guerriere British ship.
The guns of the Constitution tore holes in sides of the Guerriere and shot off both masts.
American sea captains won other victories at the sea.
This didn't make much of a difference in the war. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The Americans wanted control of Lake Erie.
Captain Oliver Hazard Perry built his own ships.
Captain Perry sailed these ships against the British.
The British ruined Perry's ship and left it.
Perry took his flag down.
Perry rowed it to another American ship.
The Americans won the battle.
Perry wrote about the American victory on an envelope. -
Battle of Thames
When the British retreated, the Americans pursued them.
The Americans followed the British.
The Americans followed the British into Canada.
The Americans defeated the British in the Battle of Thames.
Tecumseh was one person that was killed. -
Horsehoe Bend
Andrew Jackson was a Tennessee officer that took command of American troops in the Creek War.
Andrew Jackson got help from the Cherokees at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
Andrew Jackson got victory at the Battle.
The Creek's leader walked by himself into Jackson's camp to surrender.
Native Americans gave up more land to white people. -
Washington D.C. Attacked and Burned
In the summer of 1814, British ships went into Chesapeake Bay and landed an invasion force around 30 miles from Washington D.C.
American troops connected with the British in Maryland.
Dolly Madison waited for her husband to come back in the White House.
Dolly Madison got important papers of the President and a portrait of George Washington out of the White House so that they didn't burn.
Then, Dolly Madison headed South.
Dolly Madison was not there to see the British burn the White House. -
Attack on Baltimore
After the British burned down the White House, the British marched North toward Baltimore.
The British were going to Fort McHenry.
The British rockets shot at the harbor.
The British withdrew.
The British did not gain Fort McHenry. -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
After the British attacked on Baltimore, they withdrew.
Francis Scott Key witnessed the Battle.
Francis Scott Key wrote a poem about the bombardment.
This poem called "The Star-Spangled Banner" was then played as music.
Then, it was created as the National Anthem of the United States. -
Hartford Convention
Delegates from New England met in Hartford Connecticut in December 1814,
Most of the delegates were Federalists.
These delegates didn't like the Republican President, and they didn't like the war.
The delegates going to the Hartford Convention said they would leave the Union if the war went on.
While the delegates argued on what they would do, information of the Peace Treaty came.
The Hartford Convention stopped quickly because the war was now over. There was nothing to protest about. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was signed in the city of Ghent, Belgium on December 24, 1814.
John Quincy Adams summed up the Treaty of Ghent in on sentence.
The Treaty of Ghent said nothing about impressment or neutrality between America and Britain.
The issues of impressment, or neutrality went away after the end of the Napoleon wars in Europe.
More issues were dealed with after these big issues. -
Battle of New Orleans
In the late 1814, the British got ready to attack New Orleans. After that, they wanted to sail up the Mississippi River.
Andrew Jackson had been waiting for the British.
Andrew Jackson marched through Mobile, Alabama and set up a camp in New Orleans.
Members of New Orleans joined the army to defend their city from the coming British.
American soldiers dug trenches to protect themselves.
More than 2,000 British fell under the fire of American guns and cannons.
Americans won New Orleans.
