-
Washington’s Proclamation of Neutrality
Since France and Great Britain's conflict was increasing, Washington created the Proclamation of Neutrality. Washington wrote this with the intention of staying neutral between the who nations because he didn't want to get involved in their quarrels. The U.S. military was also too small and weak to handle another war, which is another reason why he didn't want the U.S. to go to war. -
Jay Treaty
The British started to seize U.S. ships that were transferring items to the French and refused to trade with America. They also started to station British troops on US soil. The US was not happy with this and decided to try to negotiate with them. The treaty was created in order to calm down the tensions between Great Britain and the US. The British ended up opening up some ports so the Americans could trade with each other, and removing most troops that were stationed on the western frontier. -
Washington’s Farewell Address
This was the letter that Washington wrote when stepping down from presidency. In this letter he stated to avoid political parties. He wants the country to be united with one another, and political parties divide the country. He also said that the US should not have any allies and to stay neutral because having allies can lead to unnecessary war. -
Embargo Act
The Embargo Act stopped the US from trading with other foreign nations. Jefferson passed this act so the British and France could try to respect and understand that America was staying neutral. This act was not well liked because it caused the businesses to fail and many people were struggling to make money due to this act. -
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
The British ship Leopard had stopped the American ship Chesapeake from going to the Mediterranean. The British thought that the ship had the 4 seamen that had abandoned the other ships, Melampus and Halifax. They urged the American commander to give them the men, but he refused. The British opened fire, and the US ship couldn’t fight back because they weren’t prepared to battle. The US ship ended up surrendering, and the British seized up 3 men and forced them into the British navy. -
Tecumseh
When the Treaty of Fort Wayne was created, three million acres of Native American land was given up to the Americans. Tecumseh did not like how the land was given up, and stated that no land should be ceded away unless all the tribes agreed to do so. Many of the Native Americans went against the US and tried to block their expansion. -
Impressment of sailors
The British needed more people to join their navy to be seamen, so they boarded American merchant ships and seized the sailors. More than 15,000 seamen were hauled away, and this is the main reason why America declared war on Great Britain. -
War Hawks
War Hawks were politicians from the west and south that wanted to drive the nation towards war with Great Britain. This group of men included Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Felix Grundy. They wanted to expand the nation’s territory by adding Canada and Florida. They also wanted to move the frontier more west even though many Indigenous people didn’t want this to happen. Soon enough, these guys ended up convincing President Madison to declare war. -
War of 1812 Begins
The US officially declares war with Great Britain. The nation was divided because half of the country wanted to go to war, and the other half didn't. Also, the US Navy was weak because they didn’t have that many soldiers and the state militias were not strong. The plans that they had to invade Canada failed, and the British started occupying Detroit. Even though they didn’t start off like how they wanted to, the US ended up capturing 500 British vessels. -
Tecumseh
Tecumseh and many other Native American tribes supported the British since the US were the ones taking their land away. Tecumseh and his warrior fought along with the British. On the retreat to Canada during the Battle of Thames, Tecumseh and his tribe tried to fight against the American troops. The American troops were too much to handle, and Tecumseh ended up dying in battle. Since he died, the pan-Indian alliances was destroyed and the Native Americans had to give up their land. -
Hartford Convention
This was a series of secret meetings that was attended by the Federalists. The Federalists expressed how it was worrisome that the Democratic Republican party was gaining more power. They also had a problem with the Louisiana Purchase and the 3/5ths Compromise because it gave the southern states more power and reduced the impact of New England. As a resolution, they wanted the money the government collected in New England to be given to the New England states in order to arrange their defense. -
Treaty of Ghent
This treaty officially ended the War of 1812 and was signed by the US and the British. All of the land that was conquered was returned to its previous owner. The treaty also stated that a commission was to be planned in order to determine the US and Canada border. -
Battle of New Orleans
The news about the Treaty of Ghent being signed did not reach the British in time, and they ended up attacking New Orleans and trying to capture it in order to separate Louisiana from the other states. The Americans knew that the attack was going to happen and they were already prepared to fight back. In the battle, the British had retreated because they weren’t strong enough to keep battling. This was the last armed related interaction between the US and the British.