“The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism” ~ 1815 – 1824 ~

On to Canada over Land and Lakes Due to widespread disunity, the War of 1812 ranks as one of America’s worst fought wars. There was not burning national anger, like there was after the Chesapeake outrage; the regular army was very bad and scattered and had old, senile generals, and the offensive strategy against Canada was especially poorly conceived.

On to Canada over Land and Lakes Had the Americans captured Montreal, everything west would have fallen, but the Americans instead focused a three-pronged attack that set out from Detroit, Niagara, and Lake Champlain, all of which were beaten back. In contrast, the British and Canadians displayed enthusiasm early on in the war and captured the American fort of Michilimackinac, which commanded the upper Great Lakes area (the battle was led by British General Isaac Brock).

On to Canada over Land and Lakes Oliver Hazard Perry captured a British fleet on the Great Lakes General William H. Harrison’s defeat of the British during the Battle of the Thames, helped bring more enthusiasm and increased morale for the war.

On to Canada over Land and Lakes In 1814, 10,000 British troops prepared for a crushing blow to the Americans along the Lake Champlain route, but on September 11, 1814, Thomas Macdonough challenged the British and forced them to retreat.

Washington Burned and New Orleans Defended. In August 1814, British troops landed in the Chesapeake Bay area, and proceeded to enter Washington D.C. and burn most of the buildings there. At Baltimore, another British fleet arrived but was beaten back by the privateer defenders of Fort McHenry, where Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Washington Burned and New Orleans Defended. Another British army menaced the entire Mississippi Valley and threatened New Orleans, and Andrew Jackson, fresh off his slaughter of the Creek Indians, led a hodgepodge force of 7000 sailors, regulars, pirates, and Frenchmen, entrenching them and helping them defeat 8000 overconfident British that had launched a frontal attack. The news of this British defeat reached Washington early in February 1815, and two weeks later came news of peace from Britain. Ignorant citizens simply assumed that the British, having been beaten by Jackson, finally wanted peace, lest they get beaten again by the “awesome” Americans.

Washington Burned and New Orleans Defended During the war, the American navy had done much better than the army, since the sailors were angry at British impressments. However, Britain responded with a naval blockade, raiding ships and ruining American economic life such as fishing.

The Treaty of Ghent At first, the confident British made sweeping demands for a neutralized Indian buffer state in the Great Lakes region, control of the Great Lakes, and a substantial part of conquered Maine, but the Americans, led by John Quincy Adams, refused. As American victories piled up, though, the British reconsidered. The Treat of Ghent, signed on December 24, 1814, was an armistice, acknowledging the draw in the war and ignoring any other demands of either side.

The War of 1812 Treaty of Ghent- brought an armistice or end to fighting in the war. Dec 24, 1814. Did not really resolve any of the reasons that the war was fought for. It did solidify American Independence in ours, the British, and the rest of the world’s eyes. Set the Northern boundary for the Louisiana Territory at the 49th parallel. http://www.canadianheritage.org/images/regular/20020.jpg

The Battle of New Orleans Johnny Horton -Music and lyrics by Jimmy Driftwood In 1814 we took a little trip Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip. We took a little bacon and we took a little beans And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans. CHORUS: We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin. There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago. We fired once more and they began to runnin' on Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. We looked down the river and we see'd the British come. And there must have been a hundred of'em beatin' on the drum. They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring. We stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing. CHORUS Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well. Then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave 'em ... well ~~~ CHORUS **Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go. They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.** We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down. So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round. We filled his head with cannon balls, and powdered his behind And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind. CHORUS Repeat ** Hup 2, 3, 4. Sound off 3, 4.... Hup 2, 3, 4. Sound off 3, 4.... Hup 2, 3, 4

Federalist Grievances and the Hartford Convention As the capture of New Orleans seemed imminent, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island secretly met in Hartford from December 15 1814 to January 5, 1815, to discuss their grievances and to seek redress for their wrongs.

Federalist Grievances and the Hartford Convention While a few talked about secession, most wanted financial assistance form Washington to compensate for lost trade, and an amendment requiring 2/3 majority for all declarations of embargos, except during invasion. Three special envoys from Mass. went to D.C., where they were greeted with the news from New Orleans; their mission failed, they sank away in disgrace and into obscurity.

Federalist Grievances and the Hartford Convention The Hartford Convention proved to be the death of the Federalist Party, as their last presidential nomination was trounced by James Monroe in 1816.

The Second War for American Independence The War of 1812 was a small war involving some 6000 Americans killed or wounded. Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 with 500,000 men, Madison tried to invade Canada with about 5000 men. Yet, the Americans proved that they could stand up for what they felt was right, and naval officers like Perry and Macdonough gained new respect; American diplomats were treated with more respect than before.

The Second War for American Independence The Federalist Party died out forever, and new war heroes, like Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison, emerged. Manufacturing also prospered during the British blockade, since there was nothing else to do.

The Second War for American Independence Incidents like the burning of Washington added fuel to the bitter conflict with Britain, and led to hatred of the nation years after the war, though few would have guessed that the War of 1812 would be the last war America fought against Britain. Many Canadians felt betrayed by the Treaty of Ghent, since not even an Indian buffer state had been achieved, and the Indians, left by the British, were forced to make treaties where they could.

The Second War for American Independence In 1817, though, after a heated naval arms race in the Great Lakes, the Rush-Bagot Treaty between the U.S. and Britain provided the world’s longest unfortified boundary (5527 mi.). After Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo, Europe sank into an exhaustion of peace, and America looked west to further expand.

Nascent Nationalism After the war, American nationalism really took off, and authors like Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper gained international recognition. The North American Review debuted in 1815, and American painters painted landscape of America on their canvases, while history books were now being written by Americans for Americans.

Nascent Nationalism Washington D.C. rose from the ashes to be better than ever, and the navy and army strengthened themselves. Stephen Decatur, naval hero of the War of 1812 and the Barbary Coast expeditions, was famous for his American toast after his return from the Mediterranean: “Out country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong!”

“The American System” After the war, British competitors dumped their goods onto America at cheap prices, so America responded with the Tariff of 1816, the first in U.S. history designed for protection, which put a 20-25% tariff on dutiable imports. It was not high enough, but it was a great start, and in 1824, Henry Clay established a program called the American System.

“The American System” The system began with a strong banking system, advocated a protective tariff behind which eastern manufacturing would flourish, and also included a network of roads and canals, especially in the burgeoning Ohio Valley, to be funded by the tariffs, and through which would flow foodstuffs and raw materials from the South and West to the North and East.

“The American System” Lack of effective transportation had been one of the problems of the War of 1812, especially in the West, and in 1817, Congress sought to distribute $1.5 million to the states for internal improvements, but Madison vetoed it, saying it was unconstitutional, thus making the states look for their own money to build the badly needed roads.