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Period: to
War of 1812
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President Madison takes office
When Madison took office tension was high with Britain. Americans were not happy with Brittian, they were arming Native Americans in the Northwest. Another thing the Americans were against, was the impessment of their sailors. The honor of America was at stake. The country suddenly had a strong sense of nationalism. -
War Hawks Take Power
Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, took officve as leaders in the House of Representatives. They were known as war hawks. They are people who are eager for war with Britain. Not everyone wanted war with them though, in the New England states, people worried that the war would hurt trade in America. -
Relations with Britain Worsen
In the spring Britain was still impressing sailors. They told the United States that they would not stop. Along with that, Native Americans who were recieveing weapons for Britain, began new attacks on frontier settlements. -
Congress Declares War on Britain
Congress declares war because of attacks and constant impessment of sailors. Many are eager for the war, but still some are afraid of the war hurting trade. -
America is not Ready for War
In the begining, Americans were confident they would beat the Brittish. They realized soon though, Jefferson's spending cuts had weakened the militery. The Navy only had 16 warships availible for use. The army had less than 7,000 men. -
Britain Blockades American Ports
Within the first five days of the war, Britain had set up a blockade off the American coast. By 1814, Britain had 135 warships that were blockading American ports. Once the British could renforce their troops, they could block off all American ports. -
Invasion of Canada
Evan before the war had started, war hawks were pressuring the invasion on Canada. They thought that the Canadians would like the thought of overthrowing British rule. American troops under General William Hull invaded Canada from Detroit. Soon though, he retreated, fearing he did not have enough soliders. The British soon realized what was going on and seized 2,000 American soliders. It was a bad loss for the Americans. -
USS Constitution scores a victory
In the beginning of the war, there was a battle fought at sea. In August, the USS Constitution defeated the British ship Guerriere. Not only did they win the battle, but the Americans won easily with their ship. The artillery fire bounced off the ship like rubber. To the Americans, it seemed as if that ship was unbreakable. -
Battle of Lake Erie
Unlike the batlle in Canada, the Americans had better luck in Lake Erie. Both sides knew how important it was to controll the lake. A three hour battle took place. During the battle, one of the American flagships was badly damaged. They switched over to a different ship and continued until they won. Now that the USA had control of the lake, they Britiah had to retreat out of Detroit. -
Battle of Thames
As the British and the Native Americans retreated, the Americans took action. They followed the British into Canada, then to defeat them in the Battle of Thames. Tecumseh was one of the people killed in that battle. -
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
With Andrew Jackson in control in the south, the Americans had gained another victory in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Andrew Jackson defeated the Creeks in this Battle. They were forced to give up millions of acres of land. -
Washington D.C. Attacked and Burned
Britain had a plan to attack Washington D.C. The First lady left quickly to a safer place. The Brittish set fire to the buildings in the capitol. -
Attack on Baltimore
The British moved on to Baltimore. Their main goal was Fort McHenry. The Americans one the Battle that had taken place right near the harbors. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention wanted the New England States to part with the United States. This was quickly turned down and the states remianed part of the counrty. -
Treaty of Ghent
In Belgium, on Christmas Eve both sides decided to sign the treaty of ghent. Everything went back to how it was before the war. -
Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson led the Americans to victory in the Battle of New Orleans. They had won the war.
