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Period: to
War of 1812
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The War Hawks take power
In 1810, Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina became leaders of the House of Representatives. They were strong nationalists. Their supporters became known as war hawks. War Hawks are people who wanted to be at war with Britain. -
Congress Declares war on Britain
When the United States declared war on Britain it didn't come at a good time, because Britain was also at war with Europe. Britain was not going to give up though. They kept supporting the Native Americans, because it was one way to keep the Americans from invading and attacking Canada. -
Invasion of Canada
In 1775 at the start of the American Revolution, rebel forces invaded Canada, occupying Montreal and attacking the town of Quebec. Americans also raided Atlantic ports, and revolutionary sympathizers in Nova Scotia attempted a rebellion in that specific colony. -
Battle of Lake Erie
After the embarrassing defeat in Canada the Americans scored an amazing victory in the Battle of Lake Erie.The three-hour battle took place in the western part of the lake. At first the American flagship was badly damaged, so the clever American commander Oliver Hazard Perry switched to another ship until the battle was won. -
Washington D.C. attacked and burned
The British had a different war strategy though, it was to attack the nations capital, Washington, D.C. When the British forces marched into the city the first lady gathered up her husbands most important papers and left the city. The British burned and attacked many important government buildings, one of which was the White House. Americans were shocked to find out that the army couldn't defend Washington! -
Attack on Baltimore
After the attack in Washington the British moved onto Baltimore. They wanted to capture Fort McHenry because it defended the city's harbor. The British warships bombed the fort on the night of September 13, 1814. At the end of the night though the American flag was still standing, the Americans had beaten off the British. -
Writing of the Star Spangled Banner
On the night of the Attack on Baltimore a young American, Francis Scott Key watched the brutal attack. By the end of the night it was over and at dawn he saw the American flag still standing on top of the fort, because the Americans had won. On the back of an old envelope, he wrote a poem he called "The Star-Spangled Banner". It told the story of that night . The poem became very popular. In 1931, Congress made it the national anthem of the United States. -
Hartford Convention
In December of 1814, a group of Federalists met in Hartford, Connecticut. Some delegates suggested that the New England States secede from the USA. Secede means to withdraw. While they delegates debated they heard about a peace treaty and the Hartford Convention soon came to an end. -
Treaty of Ghent
By 1814, Britain had become tired of war. Talks of Peace began in Ghent, Belgium. On the Christmas Eve of 1814, the Americans and British signed the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war. The treaty helped to bring life back to the way they were before the war. -
Battle of New Orleans
News of the treaty took several weeks to reach the United States though. In that short amount of time the two sides had one last battle. Under the command of General Andrew Jackson the American forces won and amazing victory against the British forces in the battle of New Orleans. -
Citations
American Revolution  Invasion of Canada | the Canadian Encyclopedia. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/american-revolution.
---. “The Battle of Lake Erie.” HISTORY, 29 July 2019, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-lake-erie.
Lohnes, Kate. “Battle of New Orleans | Location, Dates, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 July 1998, www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-New-Orleans-United-States-United-Kingdom-1815. -
More Citations
Magazine, Smithsonian. “The Story Behind the Star Spangled Banner.” Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2007, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-story-behind-the-star-spangled-banner-149220970.
“---.” National Archives, 10 May 2022, www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/treaty-of-ghent.
Bluhm, Raymond. “Battle of Baltimore | Summary.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Apr. 2017, www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Baltimore-1814. -
Last Citations
Donovan, Alex. “The Hartford Convention – Today in History: December 15 - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project.” Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project - Stories About the People, Traditions, Innovations, and Events That Make up Connecticut’s Rich History., 10 Jan. 2020, connecticuthistory.org/the-hartford-convention-today-in-history.