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Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality
This was a proclamation that Washington made due to the fact that some countries were going to war with France, one of these being Great Britain. He states that the United States should be unopinionated during this time and not choose a country to side with. -
Jay Treaty
The treaty was signed by representatives of the two countries which were the United States and Great Britain. It was signed to try to resolve some of the issues caused by the Revoluntary War and America gaining independence. The treaty almost completely stopped the US from having access to the British West Indies. It also made it so Great Britain had to stop seizing America's ships if Britain paid (or gave something of the same value) for the ships meant for France. -
Washington's Farewell Address
This was how Washington announced to the country that he was not going to serve a third term as president. He states that the United States should not have a permanent alliance with any countries, and should only have alliances for emergencies. Washington also talked about how he thinks the political parties should put aside their disagreements on what countries the United States should have an alliance with and instead focus on the country. The nation followed what he said for over a century. -
Impressment of Sailors
This event happened a span of years before the actual war started in 1812. The British started to kidnap the American sailors which was dangerous for American trade. This is what led to a lot of events, one of them being the Embargo Act of 1807 and another would be the bringing of War Hawks, which eventually led to war. -
Embargo Act 1807
This act forbids trade outside of the United States. Jefferson expected Great Britain and France to struggle due to the fact they didn't have America for trade. However, the opposite happened and the economy in the United States suffered. In 1808, the exports were down to 20% compared to what it was a year ago. Not only that, but the interest in shipping things increased a lot. -
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
This affair showed that the relationship between the United States and Great Britain was strained. It did this because the British on the boat Leopard wanted to check the American boat Chesapeake to see if there was anyone there. The Americans did not let them check their boat and this ended up with the British firing at the Americans. This ended with the United States not letting any British boats on their water. -
Tecumseh
He wanted to create a unified force with the Native Tribes near the Appalachian mountains. He wanted to do this because he thought that if all the tribes agreed to trade their land, the exchange with the colonists would go smoothly. -
War Hawks
The War Hawks wanted the United States to go to war against Great Britain because they wanted to have control over Canada and Florida. Another reason was that they did not like how much Great Britain had hurt America. One example would be when they gave the Native Americans weapons and supported them hurting the Americans. -
War of 1812 Begins
The United States went to war because its relationship with Great Britain was getting worse. What increased the tension was when the president showed Congress how Britain had negatively affected thousands of American citizens. Not only that but they were attacked by the Indians with weapons that were believed to be from the British in Canada. -
Return of Tecumseh
Richard Mentor Johnson killed Tecumseh in the Battle of Thames. It is important because it means that the alliance between the Native Americans and the Ohio Valley is over. -
Hartford Convention
This was when a group of Americans had meetings in New England in secret. They held these meetings in secret because they wanted to increase the New England State's power while also lessening the other state's power in the process. This ended with new amendments to the constitution and the decision that 2/3rds of the states must agree before the country goes to war. -
Treaty of Ghent
The treaty was signed by the British after they heard about the American victory on Lake Champlain. It was the treaty that was supposed to end the War of 1812. It made it so the British would have to give up their Northwest Territory, both sides would have to help end the slave trade, and the United States could start becoming known as a stronger foreign place with power. -
Battle of New Orleans
This was a battle that took place in New Orleans. Although the British had more troops and soldiers that were skilled, it ended with an American victory, which was led by Andrew Jackson. This became the true end of the War of 1812.