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The Louisiana Purchase
The purchase doubled the size of the United States, greatly strengthened the country materially and strategically, provided a powerful impetus to westward expansion, and confirmed the doctrine of implied powers of the federal Constitution. -
James Madison is sworn in as the 4th President of the United States.
James Madison, America's fourth President (1809-1817), made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years, he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.” -
The United States declares war on Great Britain
The United States declared war on Britain in 1812. It did so because Britain refused to stop seizing American ships that traded with France Britain's enemy in Europe. Sometimes there were also seizures of American sailors. These seizures were known as impressment. -
A mob in Baltimore destroys the printing offices of an anti-war newspaper
On the night of 22 June 1812, just four days after war had been declared, an angry mob gathered outside the office of the Federal Republican newspaper. Angered by the paper's criticism of the Republican administration, the entire office was leveled to its foundations and printing apparatus' were destroyed by the mob. -
Fort Michilimackinac surrenders to British-Canadian forces
On July 17, 1812, war descended upon Mackinac Island as a combined force of British, Canadian, and Native American soldiers captured Fort Mackinac from a small, unsuspecting American garrison. The fall of Mackinac, one of the first engagements of the War of 1812, set off over two years of combat between the United State and Great Britain for control of Michigan and the Great Lakes. -
British-Canadians win the Battle of Queenston Heights, Ontario
The first major battle in the War of 1812, the Battle of Queenston Heights was fought near the town of Queenston, Upper Canada and resulted in a British victory. The battle itself resulted from an attempt by American forces to create a foothold in Canada around the Canadian side of the Niagara River. -
Battle of Ogdensburg
The Battle of Ogdensburg, on 22 February 1813, was a British victory over American forces in the War of 1812. The upper St Lawrence River, a 317-kilometre stretch of majestic waterway from Montréal to Kingston, was the only means to sustain the British and Canadian presence in Upper Canada -
Battle of Lundy’s Lane, one of the fiercest battles of the war
It was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and one of the deadliest battles ever fought in Canada, with over 1,731 casualties including 258 killed. The two armies fought each other to a stalemate; neither side held firm control of the field following the engagement. -
Treaty of Fort Jackson
Under the terms of the treaty, the Creek Nation ceded nearly 22 million acres to the United States. Jackson justified the seizure of so much territory as payment for the expense of an “unprovoked, inhuman, and sanguinary” war. The Treaty of Fort Jackson (August 9, 1814) ended the Creek War. -
Battle of Bladensburg
The battle of Bladensburg, 24 August 1814, was a British victory during the War of 1812 that left Washington vulnerable to attack. The fall of Napoleon had allowed the British to move relatively large numbers of troops across the Atlantic.
