The War of 1812
Conflict with Britain
Napoleon’s Continental System
• Isolate England by stopping trade
• No trade w/England• British continental
property confiscated• All vessels touching
only at British port subject to seizure!
England: Orders in Council
• All colonial goods must go on British ships/neutral ships who pay duty
• Who is the “neutral shipper”?• British board our ships
– Are you helping the French?– Are you harboring “deserters”?– Impressing of 9,000 sailors
• Are they all deserters?
Embargo of 1807
• Attack on USS Chesapeake• Jefferson & Sec’y of State Madison
– Our ships will STAY HOME
• Who does this make unhappy?• US exports fall from $108 million to $22 million
in one year• The smuggling ► leads to the Force Act
“Indian Issues” out West
• Shawnee chief Tecumseh • Tenskwatawa (“the
Prophet”• Territorial gov’r of
Indiana – General William Henry Harrison
• The Indian/British alliance
Tecumseh
Reasons to be mad at the British:
• Impressing our sailors, stopping our ships– Freedom of the seas
• Southern planters ► want Florida (why?)• Arming Indians against us!• American pride and honor• Possible expansion into Canada?
President James Madison
• How to pressure England– Through Canada directly
and sugar islands indirectly
• Is everybody a war hawk?– Congress: 79 to 49
– Senate: 19 to 13
New England wants to be neutral!
• Trade with England is their business
• Where are most of our banking interests? – Do they make loans to support the war?
• Royal Navy: why blockade our pals?
• Smuggling
Military Action Starts
• General William Hull marches to Canada – summer 1812– Surprised/embarrassed by Tecumseh– Retreat!
• Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry on the Great Lakes– More successful
The War of 1812
More action . . .
• General William Henry invades Canada 1813– Battle of the Thames (Tecumseh dies)
• General Winfield Scott– Battles over New York/Canadian border
• Why aren’t those New Englanders sending him help?
General Winfield Scott
New England Resists
• Our militias can only fight in our state• We don’t want to pay the high taxes• 1814: New England Federalists meet
– Secede from union? (not much support)– Revise constitution?
• Limit presidency to one four-year term• Rotate presidency• Commercial embargoes can only last 2 months
South, West ENTHUSED
• Andy Jackson at Horseshoe Bend, MS – 1814
Burn the Capitol!
• Burning of York• Burning of
Washington DC in 1814– Revenge!
– Dolly Madison’s activities
Shelling Fort McHenry
Everybody’s tired . . .
• Let’s make peace• 1814 negotiations begin in Ghent, Belgium• Can we get Florida? Canada?• Can England get a “buffer zone”?• Let’s just stop fighting . . . . • Christmas Eve, 1814 ► Treaty of Ghent
Our Negotiators at Ghent
• Henry Clay• John Quincy Adams• Albert Gallatin
Battle of New Orleans
• News travels slowly• Andrew Jackson
annihilates the British at New Orleans
• Andy = National hero!!
Whoops!
• The hero has entered Florida without permission– Takes forts– Executes a couple British
• Sec’y of State John Quincy Adams’ response
• The public’s response
Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819
• Andrew Jackson’s illegal actions make this easier
• Spain cedes us Florida– Why do they give in so easily?
• We give up claims to part of “Spanish Texas”
• We take over $5 million Spanish debt
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