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President Madison takes office
When president James Madison took office in 1809, tension began rising between America and Britain. America became angry because Britain decided to arm the Native Americans in the west. America also resented the continued impressment of American sailors to the British. -
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The War of 1812
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War Hawks Take Power
War hawks were those eager for war with Great Britain. Many New Englanders beleived war with Britain would harm American trade. Without American and British trade both countries would be low in certain product industries. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
In the early months of 1812, the contact between Great Britain and America began to worsen. In spring of the same year, the British would continue to impress American soldiers. In June, Congress declared war on Great Britain. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
In June of 1812, Congress declared war on Great Britain. For the British, the war couldn't have come at a worse time as Britain was still at war over in Europe. Britain still refused to obey American demands even though they were at war at home. America was confident that they were going to win in the early days of the war. It soon became clear to America, they were not as prepared as they thought. -
America Is Not Ready For War
America thought they were prepared for the war with Britain. Later, it became clear to them that they weren't as prepared as they had expected. Back when Jefferson was president, his spending cuts had weakend the American military. Only 16 war ships were prepared for war and they had a military with less then 7,000 men. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
In the first days of the war, the British set up a blockade of American ports. A blockade is the action of shuting down a port or road to prevent people or goods from entering or leaving an area. By 1814, the British navy had 135 warships blockading American ports. By the end of the war, all of America was being blockaded. -
Invasion of Canada
Even before the war began, war hawks were demanding to plan an invasion of Canada. They expected Canadians to welcome the chance to throw off British rule. In July of 1812, General William Hull invaded Canada from Detroit. Unsure of himself and the amount of troops, he soon retreated. The mission was a large loss. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
The USS Constitution won a major battle against the British ship Gruerriele in a fierce battle on the seas. According to tradition, the Americans named the USS Constitution "Old Ironsides" because British artillery fire bounced off the wood hull. To the Americans, it seemed as if the Constitution was made of iron. -
Second Battle at Sackets Harbor
The second battle of Sackets Harbor went over a two day period from May 28-29, 1813. A British force was transported across Lake Ontario. The British made an attempt to capture the town, which was the principal dockyard and base for the American regulars for the militia. -
Battle of Lake Erie
American forces did better at Lake Erie than in the invasion of Canada. Both sides knew of the importance of the lake and both sides wanted control. This important battle was fought in the western part of the lake and was an extremely short battle, three hours long. The first of the American ships went down, but the Amercian comander, Oliver Hazard Perry, switched ships and took that battle as a victory. -
Battles of Thames
The British and they're allies, the Native Americans, retreated to Canada after the battle of Lake Erie. The Americans under William Henry Harrison pursued them. They followed the British to Canada and defeated them in the Battle of Thames. Tecumseh, the natives leader, was amoung those who were killed. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Native Americans in the South also suffered defeat. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend began in the summer of 1813 when Creek warriors attacked several southern American settlements. Andrew Jackson took command of the American force located in Georgia. The battle ended in March 1814 when Jackson defeated the Creeks. The Creeks were forced to give up millions of acres of land. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
The Battle of Fort Oswego was a sucessful British Raid on an American fort. The Americans had a very small force to fight against the British. The British had over 1,000 people and 8 warships. The Americans had less than 500 citizens. In the end, the British took victory, but lost almost the same amount of troops. -
Washington, D.C Attacked & Burned
The nations capital, Washington D.C. was burnt to the ground in August 1814. The British marched to the nations capital while the president's wife quickly tried to gather all of his important papers. The British set fire to the White House and several other government buildings. Americans were shocked to learn that their army could not protect Washington. -
Battle of Plattsburgh
The battle of Plattsburgh was one of the last battles of the war. It was very unsucessful for the British. The British had started the battle by sea, but once their general was defeated they fled by land into Canada.The British lost more than three times as many soldiers as America. America was very sucessful in the battle. -
Attack on Baltimore & the Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
After burning down the nations capital, the British moved on to Baltimore.The first objective of theirs was to capture Fort McHenry. The fort defends the city's harbor. The night of September 13, the British bombarded the fort throughout the night. A young boy named Francis Scott Key watched the whole thing and saw the American flag was still standing at the end . That inspired him to write the Star Spangled Banner on the back of an envelope. It became America's national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
A group of Federalists met in Hartford to discuss the war. Some of the delegates included in the convention suggested that the New England states secede or withdrawl from the U.S. When news of the peace treaty arrived, the convention quickly ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
By 1814, the British were tired of war. Talk of peace soon began in Ghent, Belgium. On Christmas Eve of 1814, both sides of the war signed the treaty of Ghent and ended the war. News of peace took several weeks to reach the United States. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place after the war ended, but before the news of the Treaty of Ghent had reached the United States. It was a shocking victory for America and was very unexpected. American forces were under General Andrew Jackson. This was the final battle of the war.
