The War of 1812

America’s Second War for Independence?

Learning Targets: I will..

• Identify and explain the causes and events occurring during the War of 1812:–What were the conflicts with Britain,

France, and Natives?–What was the impact of political factions

on international diplomacy?–What was the outcome of the War of 1812

Causes of the War: #1

• French Revolutionary Wars continue – American merchants making large profits

• Britain and France looking for ways to weaken one another…easiest way was to cut off supplies

• The French and British continued seizing ships and supplies – 1803-1807• France seized 500 ships• Britain seized 1,000 ships

Review…

1. What was the Embargo Act? What was its impact?

2. What legislation replaced the Embargo Act?

3. Who was Tecumseh? 4. Why might the US WANT to declare war on

Britain? What actions were inciting the US?

James Madison: Our Nations 4th President

Dolly Madison

James Madison Enters White House

• By 1809: Many American’s super angry at Britain– Rise of the WARHAWKS!– Led by Henry Clay of

Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of S. Carolina • John C. Calhoun is Miss

Weaver’s least favorite person in American History; she hates him…more on that later!

Florida and the War of 1812?

• Frontiersman in the “North” wanted the US to acquire Canada, while the South wanted the United States to acquire Spanish Florida – Indians would raid north into white settlements – Slaves would escape

• In 1810, American settlers in West Florida( Mississippi and Louisiana) seized the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge and asked federal government to annex territory to the United States

• President Madison happily agreed and began planning rest of Florida too.

• Another motivation for war with Britain. Spain was Britain’s ally.

CAN YOU SAY SCARY?!?

John C. Calhoun

Henry Clay

1812

• Things have devolved even further:– Britain is continuing impressment and a rash of

attacks on American frontier settlements surged

– June 18, 1812: Congress declares war!– Britain’s response: Whatever…we’ll focus on

you later• British occupied with Napoleon and France• By 1813, France was weakened, so the British turned

their attention to America.

Hmmmm…We’ll show you! We

DECLARE WAR!!!

Ho hum…here we go again.

Those whiney Americans.

James Madison

Washington

Lord Liverpool

London

The War of 1812

Early Days of the War

• Ooops…remember Jefferson cut the military?– Only 16 warships and fewer than 7,000 men

• Britain's main strategy: Blockade of America’s coast– Shutting down a port or road to prevent people or

supplies from coming into an area or leaving it.– By 1814, 135 British warships blockading

American ports

British Blockade

Early Stages of War

• US plans quick invasion of Canada…assume that Canadians will welcome “liberation” – Quick & Dirty:• July 1812: We invade Canada with about 1,000 men

and have our butts kicked by British regulars• We lose Detroit and most of Michigan Territory• October 1813: We redouble our efforts and engage

British and Natives on Lake Erie and then at the Battle of Thames

• USS Constitution and HMS Guerrire battled 400 miles off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia on August 19, 1812.

• Short barrage of gunfire by both sides led to the Guerriere becoming damaged beyond repair.

• The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of "Old Ironsides“.

• This battle, the first of several U.S. Navy victories in ship-to-ship contests, encouraged Americans and chagrined the British

Key Battles: The Battle of Thames

• October 5, 1813, British and Indian forces are defeated by American forces in Canada

• Tecumseh’s death ends Indian resistance in the Ohio River Valley

William Henry Harrison

Methinks one day I

will be President!

WHH is the General commanding all US troops in

the Northwest Territory

The British Burn the Capital

• August 1814, the British Army invades the United States and marches on Washington D.C.

• After a brief fight the city surrenders and nearly all government buildings are razed by fire including the White House & Capital

• Madison rallies the American public after this defeat

The White House

The Capitol Building

The War of 1812

HATE

Fort McHenry• British bombarded the fort through the

night on September 13,1814– Francis Scott Key, a prisoner on a British barge

witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore for 12 hours

– In the morning he observed that the American flag still flew over the fort and writes a poem called “The Defense of Ft McHenry” it eventually becomes a song “The Star Spangled Banner”

After the Battle of Fort McHenry

• Unsuccessful at Baltimore, damaged fleet limped to Jamaica for repairs, and made preparations for an invasion of New Orleans, hoping to cut off American use of the Mississippi River.

I’m on island time now!

Admiral Cochran

Ending the War

• The Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814 ends the War of 1812

• The war is considered staus quo ante bellum, which means everything goes back to the way it had been before the war…

• BUT, it took weeks for the news to actually reach the US…– In the mean time: The war continues to rage on!

The Treaty of Ghent

Communication Breakdown

John, why didn’t you update your

facebook status…Or at least Tweet that

the war was over?!?

Sorry, I was playing Words with Friends

with the Secretary of War

The Battle of New Orleans• January, 1815: The American forces are a

multicultural, motley band of experienced soldiers and warriors

• The British, a trained army, are virtually mauled by American forces hiding behind earthworks and cannons

• American forces led by General Andrew Jackson, inflicts great casualties on the British army

• Andrew Jackson becomes synonymous with America’s winning the war.

The Battle of New Orleans

This is the best moment of my

life…

You realize this victory is completely

meaningless…

The Losses

British Casualties

• 291 killed• 1,267 wounded• 484 captured or

missing– Major General Edward

Pakenham killed in action

American Casualties

• 13 dead• 39 wounded• 19 missing

Hartford Convention

• War of 1812 unpopular in New England– Believed commercial interests were being

sacrificed by the Southern and new Western states– Mostly Federalists from Massachusetts,

Connecticut and Rhode Island– Discussed secession

• While the convention was being held, the ship carrying news of the Treaty of Ghent was on its way from Belgium

Impact of the War

1. A sense of nationalism sweeps America.– Nationalism is a belief and sense of pride in

one’s country based on it’s achievements.

2. The nation will embark on foreign trade and begin to build a transportation system in the United States.

3. Native American resistance will be removed from the Ohio River Valley permanently opening the Midwest for expansion.