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The War of 1812
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President Madison takes office
James Madison took office in the United States. The tensions with Britain were high. Times for Madison were tough. The people called him the "Father of the Constitution". James Madison's quote was "Every word of the Constitution decides on a question between power and liberty. " -
War Hawks Take Power
Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun had become leaders in the House of Representatives.Clay, Calhoun, and their supporters called war hawks. Opposition to the war was the strongest in New England.Many New Englanders believed war with Britain would harm the American trade. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
War didn't come at a "good time" for Britain. British set up a blockade of the American coast. A major sea battle was fought at the beginning of the war.Germany wanted an empire like Britain and France had. Britain and France owned over half of the world between them and Britain also had the world's best navy, so Germany would have to both increase the size of its navy and fight Britain and France for colonial possessions. That damaged relationships. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
Congress declared war on Britain because the central dispute surrounded the impressment of American soliders. Congress didn't like the fact that British blockaded the American coast.British interfered at sea and many Westerns demanded war. -
America is not Ready for War
Jefferson's spending cuts had weakened American military strength. The navy had 17 war ships, and the British had 135 warships blockading American ports. After Britain reinforced their troops they were able to close off all of American ports by war's end. -
Britain Blockade American Ports
A major sea battle was fought at the beginning of the war.In August 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British warship Guerriere in a fierce battle. The American sailors had nicknamed the Constitution "Old Ironsided". They called the Constitution that because British artillery fire had bounced off the ship's thick wooden hull.It looked like the Constitution was made of iron. -
Invasion of Canada
In July 1812, American troops under General William Hull had invaded Canada from Detroit.The General was not fully sure himself. He was worried that he did not have enough soliders so he had retreated. Then the British commander, General Isaac Brock had taken advantage of Hull's confusion. He had surrounded Hull's army and forced them to surrender. The British had captured more than 2000 American soliders. It had been a major defeat in the United States. -
USS Constitution scores a Victory
The USS Constitution had made a major victory. The USS Constitution had defeated the British warship Guerriere. They defeated them in a fierce battle. -
Washington,D.C. Attacked & Burned
Washington D.C. was attacked by a British force. The President's wife, Dolley Madison, who gathered up the President's important papers and fled the White House. Then the British set fire to several different government buildings. -
Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor
A British force was transported across Lake Ontario and attempted to capture the town, which was the principal dockyard and base for the American naval squadron on the lake. They were repulsed by American regulars and militia. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The Battle of Lake Erie, was fought on 10 September 1813, in Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of Great Britain's Royal Navy. This guaranteed American control of the lake for the rest of the war, It was one of the biggest navy battles in the War of 1812 -
Battle of Thames
The Battle of the Thames was a decisive American victory in the War of 1812. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada. It solutioned in the death of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, and the destruction of the Native American coalition which he led. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend was fought during the War of 1812 in central Alabama. On March 27, 1814, United States forces and Indian allies under Colonel Andrew Jackson defeated the Red Sticks, a part of the Creek Indian tribe who opposed American expansion, effectively ending the Creek War.The Creek Indians of Georgia and Alabama had become divided into two parts the Upper Creeks and the Lower Creeks. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
When Lake Ontario was frozen, the British and American navy squadrons had been building two a houseboat or a gunboat each, with which to contest command of the lake during the coming campaigning season.Drummond and Yeo decided to attack the smaller post at Fort Oswego.Ordnance, food and other supplies were carried up the Mohawk River and across Lake Oneida, to Oswego. -
Attack on Baltimore & the Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States of America. A 35 year old lawyer and a poet, Francis Scott Key, after he witnessed the attack of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships in Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. -
Battle of Plattsburgh
The Battle of Plattsburgh, aka the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812. A British army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadron under Captain George Downie converged on the lakeside town of Plattsburgh, which was defended by American troops under Brigadier General Alexander Macomb and ships commanded by Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough. -
Treaty of Ghent
Peace talks began in Ghent, Belgium. On Christmas Eve 1814, the two sides signed the Treaty of Ghent, which had ended the war. The treaty returned things to the way they had been before the war. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention when a group of Fedralists had met in Hartford, Connecticut. Some delagates suggested that the New England states secede(withdraw) from the U.S. While they debated, news of the peace treaty had arrived.Since the war had ended, the Hartford Convention had ended too. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812.American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, had defeated an invading British Army intent by seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the Louisiana Purchase.
