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President Madison Takes Office
In 1809, James Madison becomes president. Britain supplied weapons to the Native Americans in the Northwest. Britain kept impressing sailors. Tension grew between the two countries. -
Period: to
War of 1812
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War Hawks Take Power
Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun became leaders in the House of Representatives in 1810. Their followers were called war hawks. War hawks wanted war with Britain. People that didn't want war with Britain were most popular in New England; they believed it would hurt trade. -
Relations with Great Britain Worsen
Relations with Britain worsen steadily in 1812. That spring, Britain said they would keep impressing sailors. Native Americans in the Northwest attacked frontier settlements with weapons that Britain provided. Congress declared war on Britain in June. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
The beginning of the war was a bad time for Britain. At the time, they were still at war in Europe. By giving Native Americans weapons they were protecting Canada from American invasion. -
America is Not Ready for War
When war began it was clear that we weren't ready. Jefferson's spending cuts weakened the stremgth of the military. We had 16 warships in all. The army had fewer than 7,000 men. Britain had 135 warchips blockading American ports. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
At the beginning of the war, the British navy blockaded American ports. In 1814, there were 135 British warships blocking our ports. At the end of the war, Britain had closed off all American ports. -
Invasion of Canada
War hawks wanted to invade Canada also. In July, American troops invaded from Detroit. Their general second guessed himself and retreated due to the small amount of soldiers. -
USS Constitution Scores a Victory
The British ship, Guerriere, and the American ship, USS Constitution got in a large battle on the North Atlantic Ocean. The USS Constitution fired a barrage that took both masts off of the Guirreire. British cannonballs did nothing to the hull of the USS Constitution. -
Second Battle of Sackets Harbor
A British force was sent across Lake Ontario. They tried to capture the town of Sackets Harbor. Sackets Harbor was the principle dockyard and base for American forces. There, they were repelled by American forces. -
Battle of Lake Erie
British and Americans knew how important it was to have total controll over Lake Erie. A three hour battle took place in the western part of the lake, called Put-In-Bay. During this battle, the American flagship was vey badly damaged. Our commander switched ships and continued to fight. "We have met the enemys and they are ours."-Oliver Hazard Perry: Commander. The British were strained from Detroit and had to go back to Canada. -
Battle of Thames
As the British retreated to Canada from the Battle of Lake Erie, an American force led by General William Henry Harrison trailed them. Americans overthrew them in the Battle of Thames. Tecumseh was killed in this battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Creek warriors attacked many American settlements in the south. Andrew Jackson became commander of the US forces in Georgia. American forces conquered the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The Creeks had to give up millions of acres of land because of the treaty that ended the fighting. -
Battle of Fort Oswego
200 British soldiers faced Fort Ontario from the lake. There were 242 American soldiers. American foot soldiers were drawn up onto the glacis but fell back into it. Defenders ran from attackers. -
Washington, D.C Attacked & Burned
The British set many government building on fire, including the White House. The president's wife took all the important papers and ran. American forced were astounded that they couldn't shield Washington. -
Battle of Plattsburgh
The Battle of Plattsburgh was alos called the Battle of Lake Champlain. It was the last invasion of the northern states in the War of 1812. British forces approached Plattsburgh. They attacked soon after dawn. The American forces were led by General Alexander Macomb and our ships were commanded by Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough. The Britsh were defeated after a tough fight in which their leader, Captain George Downie was killed. Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost's troops went to Canada. -
Attack on Baltimore & the Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
The British's first destination was Fort McHenry which shielded the city's harbor. They besieged the fort all night long. Francis Scott Key watched the whole attack. At the end the Americans had battered off the attack and our flag was still standing. On the back of an envelope Key wrote a poem decribing his night. It was called "The Star-Spangled Banner" and in 1931 was made the nation anthem of the United States. -
Hartford Convention
Northern Federalists met to discuss the proceeding War of 1812 and problems forming in Viriginia about the new Federalists government. They deliberated about dislodging the Three-fifths Compromise. They also discussed their injustices about the Louisiana Puirchase and the Embargo of 1807. -
Treaty of Ghent
On Crhistmas Eve, in 1814, both the Americans and the British signed the Treaty of Ghent that ended the war. Everything was then the same and before the war. News took many weeks to travel to the United States. -
Battle of New Orleans
While the news of the Treaty of Ghent was getting it's way to America the two sides fought one battle, the Battle of New Orleans. Genral Andrew Jackson was their leader. The Americans won a shocking victory at the Battle of New Orleans.
