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President Madison Takes Office
James Madison became the 4th president of the United States. The tensions with Britain were high at this time. President Madison had to deal with the Americans being angry at Britaian for arming the Native Americans in the Northwest, and for continuing the impressment of American sailors. -
Period: to
The War of 1812
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War Hawks Take Power
Henry Clay and Joh C. Calhoun became leaders in the House of Re[resentatives. Them and their supporters were known as war hawks. They were called this because they were eager to go to war with Britain. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
The relations between the U.S. and Great Britain worsened very steadily, with the British telling them that they were going to keep the impressment of their sailors going. The Native Americans also began new attacks in the Northwest on frontier settlements at this time. This angered the Americans even more, and finally in June, Congress declared war with Great Britain. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
This is the time Congress declared war with Britain. War was finally declared after long because of the War Hawks wanting war, and because of how angry other Americans were getting witht the British. Britain basically brought war on themselves, by continuing the impressment of American sailors and for arming the Native Americans in the Northwest, which was not smart, ast they were still at war in Europe at the time. -
America is not Ready for War
America was confident that they would win in the war against Britain, but they soon realized that they weren't prepared for war. With the cuts that Thomas Jefferson made as president, the American military was weakened. The navy only had 16 ships ready, and the army was very small, with only about 7,000 soldiers. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
The British set up a blockade of the American coast on the first days of the war. A blockade is the action of shutting a port where supplies are imported and exported. The British had blocked the port with 195 navy ships by 1814. The British managed to close off all American ports neart he war's end. -
Invasion of Canada
Before the Congress had even declared war, the war hawks had wanted to invade Canada. Eventually American troops under General William Hull invaded Canada from Detroit, but Hull had them retreat in fear that he did not have enough soldiers. The General of the British took advantage of this and ambushed them, making them surrender and lose over 2,000 troops. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
The most famous battle at sea in this war was the battle between the USS Constitution and the British ship Guerriere. It took place in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Guerriere's canonballs were no match for the Constitution's hull, and the Constitution won. The Constitution was nicknamed "Old Ironsides" for the canonballs simply bouncing off the hull like it was iron. -
Second Battle of Sackets Harbor
The British had control over the great lakes, and the main concentration was on Sackets Harbor for the U.S. and for Canada. The U.S. naval squadron set up by Captain Isaac Chauncey was superior to the British squadron. They had the chance to attack Kingston which would allow them to control most of Upper Canada. Instead they attacked York because the number of British soldiers at Kingston was exagerrated. -
Battle of Lake Erie
It was important to both sides to control the lake. The American flagship was badly damaged at the battle at Put-In-Bay. Oliver Hazard Perry, the American commander, switched to a different ship. They continued to fight until the battle was won by America. Now with America in control of the lake, the British had to retreat back to Canada. -
Battle of Thames
The British and Native Americans were pursued by the Americans under General William Henry Harrison while they were retreating. The British were defeated in Canada in the Battle of Thames after being pursued. Tecumseh, the Shawnee Native American war chief, was one of the ones killed in this battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Several southern American settlements were attacked by Creek Warriors in the summer of 1813. A man named Andrew Jackson took command of the American forces in Georgia. In the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the Creeks were defeated by Jackson. The Creeks had to give up millions of acres in land because of the treaty that stopped the fighting. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
The British and the Americans were both building two frigates each while early 1814 while Lake Ontario was frozen. The British had planned to capture the small village of Oswego in the state of New York. The British arrived at Oswego on May 5th, but a storm blew up, and they were forced to withdraw. They landed the next morning, and the British frigates engaged the fort. This battle was a partially successfull raid for the British on an American fort and village. -
Washington, D.C. Attacked and Burned
Attacking Washington D.C. was the new strategy of the British, and on August 1814, they marched a British force into the city. Many government buildings along with the White House were set on fire by the British. However, before it burned, the President's wife gathered up the President's important papers and fled the White House. It shocked the Americans when they learned their army could not defend Washington D.C. -
Attack on Baltimore & the Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
After Washington, the British moved to Baltimore. Fort McHenry defended the city's harbor, so it was the first objective of the British. The Fort was attacked throughout the night by the British warships. A young American named Francis Scott Key watched the attack, and at dawn, he saw the American flag still over the fort flying. He wrote a peom about the night he saw and called it, "The Star-Spangled Banner", this later became a song and in 1931, it became the national anthem of the U.S. -
Battle of Plattsburgh
The final invasion of the northern states was ended by this battle, also called the Battle of Lake Champlain. The lakeside town of Plattsburgh was converged by a British army and naval squadron. This battle took place only shortly before the end of the war with the Treaty of Ghent. The British retreated to Canada realizing that without contol of the lake, if Plattsburgh was captured, they would not be able to supply it. -
Hartford Convention
On this day a group of Federalists met in Hartford at what was called the Hartford Convention. It was suggested by some delegates that the New England states secede form the United States. News of the peace treaty came while the delegates were debating. The Hartford Convention ended quickly with the war over. -
Treaty of Ghent
Britain had grown tired of war at this time. In Ghent, Belgium, peace talks had begun. Both sides signed the Treaty of Ghent on Christmas Eve 1814, which ended the war. Things had gone back to the way they were before the war after the signing of the treaty. -
Battle of New Orleans
It took many weeks for the news of the Treaty of Ghent to reach the United States. One more battle was fought against the British during this time, the Battle of New Orleans. The American forces under General Andrew Jackson had an amazing victory against the British.
