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Impressment of sailors
The impressment of sailors was a way for the British military to recruit soldiers. Many times British soldiers would desert their ship and find work on American ships this gave Britain cause to search U.S. ships. Searching and seizing these ships the British military would force American soldiers to work in the British Navy. This was one of the main causes for the war of 1812. -
Washingtons Proclamation of Neutrality
Washingtons Proclamation of Neutrality ended the terms of the Treaty of Alliance. It wanted the United States to remain neutral to all nations. This was done in an attempt to avoid another war while they were trying to set up the nation. -
Jays Treaty
Jays Treaty was signed in order to relieve tensions between Great Britain and America and avoid war. After the Revolutionary War Britain still had forts located in America and was seizing their ships. The treaty ordered Britain to remove the soldiers, open some of their ports for trade, and both countries were to repay their debts from the war. -
Washingtons Farewell Address
Washingtons Farewell Address formally declared his decision to not go for a third term as president. It was also used to warn the country of possible/future issues. One of these warnings was towards alliances with other nations. Washington thought that there should be no permanent alliances made with foreign nations. -
Chesapeake–Leopard Affair
The Chesapeake–Leopard Affair was a naval incident that occurred between the British HMS Leopard and the USS Chesapeake. The Chesapeake refused to let the Leopard search for naval deserters. This caused the Leopard to fire on the Chesapeake, many of the crew members were injured, wounded, and killed. The Chesapeake was forced to surrender and 4 people were taken from the crew but only one was a British deserter. -
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 was put in place by Thomas Jefferson. It closed all U.S. ports and restricted imports. Jefferson passed this to try to show Britain and France that they needed America. But it would backfire and severely hurt the American Economy. -
War Hawks
These were congressmen elected from Southern and Western states that fought for the government to declare war against Britain. They wanted this war because of the desire of expansion in the west, affects from wars with France, and lasting tensions from the Revolutionary War. -
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was the Shawnee Chief, in 1811 he formed an alliance with other native tribes. His purpose for this was to represent the native tribes when negotiating with the American government to stop western expansion. He wanted to preserve the native lands but this would fail the Americans continued to fight against the natives. This would lead him to negotiating and starting an alliance with the British. -
War of 1812 Begins
President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Britain on June 18, 1812. This war lasted until December 24, 1814. It was a result of the impressment of American soldiers and British support of Native Americans against the western expansion. The war resulted in many American soldiers deaths and the burning of the Capitol and White House. -
Tecumseh
On October 5, 1813 the Battle of the Thames occurred. American forces were fighting in an attempt to regain their territory in the Great Lakes. This battle resulted in a victory for the United States and reclaiming their territory. But it also resulted in the death of Tecumseh, leader of the native confederacy. His death caused the unraveling and end of the confederacy, stopping the native resistance. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention lasted from December 15, 1814 to January 5, 1815. It contained delegates from Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts's, and Vermont. This convention was a series of meetings where they discussed President Madison's progress on the War of 1812. Many of them did not agree with how he was handling it and wanted to succeed. But they instead proposed amendments to the constitution that would help to protect New England. -
Battle of New Orleans
On January 8, 1815, British and American forces fought over the New Orleans territory in order to gain control over the port. This battle would end in an American victory and force Britain to acknowledge and accept the United States claim to the lands. Americans now had access and could control to the New Orleans port. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent ended the war of 1812. It made Britain return all of its conquered land and give up claims to the northwestern territories.