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timespan. :D
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President Madison takes office
President Madison was inaugurated on March 4, 1809. He was the 4th president of the United States. When he took office, tensions with Britain were already very high.Some people were eager for war with Britain, while others were not. -
War Hawks take power
"War Hawks" was a term that was used to describe those who were eager for war with Britain. Two important War Hawks were Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. They were both members of the House of Representives. Some people were not supportive of the War Hawks because they thought that a war with Britain would harm trade. -
Relations With Great Britain worsen.
Britain seized American ships. These were not war ships, but they were friendly and used for trade. British soliders took American sailors and made them serve for the British navy. This was called impressment. In 1812, the British told the Americans that they would continue impressing soliders. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
In June, Congress declared war on Britain. The Americans were fed up because they British kept impressing sailors. At the same time, the Native Americans started attacking northwestern settlements. -
America is not Ready For War.
America was not ready for war. The spending cuts that Jefferson had made weakened the military a lot. The army had fewer than 7,000 men. If you're not familiar with all this army stuff, all you need to know is that 7,000 is a dangerously small army. The navy had only 16 warships ready to take action. Once again, this is very small. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
Within days of when the war started, Britain blockaded the American coast. A blockade is when a port or road is shut down to prevent people or supplies from getting in or getting out. By 1814, there were 135 British warships blocking American ports. By the time the war ended, the British had affectively shut down all of America's ports. -
Invasion of Canada!
The war hawks demanded an invasion of Canada. This happened even before the war began. The war hawks expected that they Canadians would want to break free of British rule.
General William Hull led American troops to Canada from Detroit. He didn't think he had enough soilders, though, so he retreated. The British commander, General Isaac Brock, had his army surround Hull's and forced them to surrender. The United States were defeated. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
At the beginning of the war, a major sea battle was fought. The USS Constitution defeated the British ship, Guerriere. This was a major victory for the United States. Some American sailors nicknamed the Constitution "Old Ironsides" because the British artillery fire actually bounced off of the ship's hull. It seemed as though it was made of iron, even though it was actually wooden. -
Second Battle of Sackets Harbor
British forces crossed Lake Ontario and tried to capture Sackets Harbor. Sackets Harbor was the principal base for the navy on the lake. 49 British men were killed and 216 were wounded. About 157 American men were killed, wounded and/or missing. The British were defeated. -
Battle of Lake Erie
When the war began, the British seized control of Lake Erie. On September 10, 1813, Americans saw Robert Barclay's (the British commander) ships heading for them. A battle broke out and the Americans won. After the battle, though, they intentionally sunk two of their ships. They could not repair the damage delt to the ships. -
Battle of Thames
After the Battle of Erie, the British retreated in to Canada. The Americans followed them. Tecumseh was killed in the battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
On this day, the Creek warriors attacked many American settlements. Andrew Jackson led the American Forces that fought back. The Americans won. This forced the Creeks to give up a lot of their land. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
On May 5th, British troops arrived around Oswego. However, the wind made it so they couldn't get to land. The next morning, however, they made it to Oswego. They raided Fort Ontario and stole about 2,400 barrels full of supplies. -
Washington, D.C Attacked & Burned
In August, a British force entered Washington, D.C. Dolley Madison (James Madison's wife) gathered all of the president's important papers and left the White House. The British set fire to the White House. Other important government buildings here burned as well. American troops could not defend themselves. This shocked many American citizens. -
Battle of Plattsburgh
The Battle of Plattsburgh ended the final invasion of the northern states. First, there was a sea battle in Lake Champlain. After, they battle on land. The British retreated to Canada and the Americans won. -
Attack on Baltimore & the Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
After they burned Washington, D.C, the British headed to Baltimore. First, they attacked Fort McHenry, the fort defending the city's harbor. The night of September 13, they attacked the fort from the sea. Francis Scott Key watched the battle from a distance. In the morning, he saw the American flag still flying and was inspired. He wrote a poem entitled "The Star Spangled Banner" that became so popular that it was eventually put to music. Later, in 1931, it became the national anthem. -
Hartford Convention
New Englanders were angry about the War of 1812. It had badly damaged their trade. At the Hartford Convention, some suggested that New England withdraw from the United States. However, the news of the war's end arrived and the convention ended. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was a peace treaty that ended the War of 1812. It was thought of in Ghent, Belgium. It was signed on Christmas Eve. Afterwords, everything went back to normal. -
Battle of New Orleans
The news that that war was over took a while to reach the United States. After the war had officially ended, the Americans and British fought again, this time in New Orleans. Andrew Jackson, leading the Americans, won. The war was now over.
