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President Madison Takes Office
James Madison was the fourth president of the United States. Madison was a Democratic Republican. When he became president tension was high with Britain and he also had to deal with war hawks. -
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The War of 1812
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War Halks Take Power
Two strong nationalists Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun became leaders of the House of Representatives. They both thought that the countrys honor was at stake. They were also both war hawks. In 1812 they got their wish and went to war. -
Relations With Great Brittain Worsen
In the spring of 1812, the British told the United States that they would continue to impress U.S. soldiers. At the same time Native Americans were attacking the fronteir settlements. Then finaly in June the U.S. declared war on britain. -
America is not Ready for War
After the war started it became clear that the U.S. was not prepared for war. Due to Jefferson's spending cuts the U.S. had only sixteen war sips ready to go to war. Also to make it worse, the U.S. had only 7,000 men in its military. -
Congress Declares War on Brittain
In June of 1812 the U.S. declared war on Britain. At that time it was not a good time for Britain to go to war. The British were still at war in Europe. However Britain was not willing to meet American demands to avoid war. Americans were confident that they would win the war with Britain. -
Britain Blocades American Ports
In the early days of the war Britain set up a blocade of the American Coasts. A blocade is the action of shuting off ports. By 1814 the British had 135 warships blocading american ports. -
Invasion of Canada
Before the war began war hawks were demanding an invasion of Canada. They expected Canadians would welcome the chance to through off british rule. In 1812 American troops invaded Canada, but they were unsure if they had enough troops. They soon retreated. The British comander took advantage of their retreat and quickly surounded them. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
A major sea battle was fought at the beginning of the war. In August 1812 the USS Constitution defeated the british war ship Guerriere in a brutal battle. After the battle was over American soldiers nicknamed the USS Constitution "Old Ironsides" because during the battle cannon balls would just bounce off the ships hard hull. -
Second Battle of Sackets Harbor
A British force was transported across Lake Ontario. They attempted to capture a town, which was the principal dockyard and base for the American naval squadron on the lake. The British were driven away by an Ameican malitia. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The battle was fought off the coast of Ohio. Nine U.S. ships defeated six ships of Britian's Royal Navy. This win insured contol over Lake Erie. The control of Lake Erie allowed America to recover Detroit and win The Battle of Thames. -
Battle of Thames
The Battle of Thames was a decisive American victory. It took place near present day Chatam, Ontario in upper Canada. The battle resulted in the death of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, and the distruction of the Native American coalition which he led. -
Battle of Horsehoe Bend
In the summer of 1813, Creek wariors attacked many southern American setttlements. Andrew Jackson took command of American forces in Georgia. In March Jackson defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Hourseshoe Bend. The treaty that ended the battle forced the Creeks to give up millions of ackers of land. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
The Battle of Fort Oswego was a partially successful British raid. The raid was on an American fort and village in May. The British sen two frigates to engage the fort. A lot of British troops landed in deep water which made their gun poewder wet and useless. So the British fixed their bayonets and attacked. By the time the British made it over the glacis the Americaans had all fled the fort. -
Washington, D.C Attacked and Burned
In August 1814, a British force marched into Washington D.C. Dolley Madison, James Madison's wife, gathered up many important papers and fled the White House. The British burned down many government buildings, including the White House. Many Americans were shocked that we could not defend Washington. -
Attack on Bltimore
After the attack on Washington the British force moved into Baltimore. Their first objective was to capture Fort McHenry, which defended Baltimores harbors. British war ships started attacking the fort at night. At dawn the American flag was stilll flying over the fort. Americans had beaten off the attack. -
Battle of Plattsburg
This battle ended the final invation of northen states during the war. Part of the British army and navy converged on the lakeside town of Plattsburg. The navy attacked first shortly after dawn but was defeated. After the naval defeat the British army abandoned the attack on Plattsburg. -
The Writing of The Star Spangled Banner
Fransis Scott Key a yong American who saw the attack on baltimore wrote a poem called the "Star Spangled Banner". It was the story of what he saw during the battle. The poem became very popular and was set to music. In 1931 Congress made the poem the national anthem of the United States. -
Hartford Convention
In December 1814, a group of Federalists met in Hartford. Some delagates of the Hartford Conventon suggested that the New England states secede, or withdraw from the United States. While the delagates debated, the news of the treaty arrived and the Hartford Convention quickly ended. -
Treaty Of Ghent
Britain was tired of war. Peace talks began in Ghent, Belgium. On Christmas Eve 1814 both sides signed The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war. The treaty returned things to the way they were before the war began. -
Battle of New Orleans
The news of the treaty took several weeks to get to the United States. So in that time there was one more battle. In January 1815, American forces under General Andrew Jackson's control won a stunning victory over the British in the Battle of New Orleans.
