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Period: to
The War of 1812
Payton Reese
Period 3 -
President Madison Takes Office
When James Madison took office tensions were growing between America and Great Britain. The Americans were mad at the British for arming the Native Americans in the Northwest. Americans were alsomad that impessment of American sailors was continuing. -
War Hawks Take Power
Some well known war hawks were Henry Clay and Jonh C. Calhoun. They were war hawks, meaning they were eager to go to war with Britan. They had become the leaders in the House of Representitives. Now that War Hawk were involved in the government they could influence decisions on war with Britan. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
In the early months of 1812 the relationship with Great Britain worsened. The British refused to stop the impressment of sailors on American trade ships. Meanwhile in the Northwest, Native Americans began new attacks on frontier settlements. -
Congress Declares war on Britain
In June, Congress declared war on Btitain. This was a bad time for war for Britain because they were already at war with other countries. The British wouldn't meet the demamds of the Americans to avoid war. -
America is not Ready for War
In the beggining the americans were confident they would win the war, but they were wrong. Jefferson's spending cuts had weakend Americas defence. The navy only had 16 warships . The army was less than 7,000 strong. -
Britain Blocades American Ports
What worsened things was that the British blocaded the American coast. By 1814 the British had 135 ships blocking one of Americas most important trade routes. By the end of the war the British had blocked off all the americans trade routes. -
Invasion of Canada
When the Americans first tried to invade Canada,General Hull feared that he didn't have enough troops. So he decided to retreat. While doing so the British general Isaac Brock's lead his army and Native supporters to surround the Americans. This forced General Hull to surrender. The British obtained 2000 American soldiers. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
In the most important sea battle of the war of 1812 the USS Constitution fought the British Brigade named Guerriere. For almost an hour in the North Atlantic ocean the two ships engaged in battle. The Constitution shot a barrage at the British ship Breaking both of its masts while the British cannonballs did no harm to the Constitution. -
Battle of Lake Erie
Unlike the American attempt to invade Canada battles at Lake Erie went in favor of the Americans. Both the British and the Americans knew the importance of controling the lake. The battle at Put-In-Bay was a key three-hour battle on the west side of the lake. With the heroics of Oliver Hazard Perry and many other American fighters the British were forced to retreat out of Detoit and back into Canada. -
Battle of Thames
After the battle of Lake Erie the British were forced to retreat. General William Henry Harrison lead his American troops to catch the British. In Canada the Americans defeated the British, In the Battle Tecumseh a Shawnee war chief was killed. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Like the British in the north, Native British allies also faced a defeat in the south. Creek warriors had begun to attack southern settlements so Andrew Jackson took charge of the forces in Georgia. The treaty that ended this war forced Native Americans to give up millions of acres of their land. -
Washington, D.C. Attacked and Burned
The British's new tactic was to attack Americas capital. When a British force walked into Washington D.C. Dolley Madison (the presidents wife) grabbed the presidents important documents and papers then fled. The British burned many important government buildings including the White House. Americans were shocked that the United States couldn't defend its capital. -
Attack on Baltimore
After the British attacked the capital they headed to Baltimore, their main goal was to capture Fort McHenry. Fort McHenry was important because it protected the city's harbor. British warships attacked the fort during the night. In the morning A young american Fracis Scott Key say that the American flag was still waving. The fort had fended off the British. -
The Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key who had seen the attack on Baltimore wrote a poem about it on the back of an envolope. He named it the Star Spangled Bannar, It became popular and was made into a song. In 1931 Congress made it the United States national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
A meeting of delegates in Hardford Connecticut. There the suggestin of New England leaving the United States. During the debate a peace treaty arrived, with the war over the convention soon ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
By 1814 Britain was tired of fighting. Peace talks began in Ghent, Belgium, the two sides of the war signed a treaty. This ended the war and things went back to normal. -
Battle of New Orleans
When talk of peace began in Ghent. It took several weeks for the news of the treaty to reach the united states. In the time it took to get there there was one more battle. Under the command of General Andrew Jackson lead the Americans to an amazing victory in the battle of New Orleans.
