War of 1812 5th Grade © Kara Lee

Trouble with Britain © Kara Lee In the early1800s, conflicts between America and Britain began to increase again. James Madison was president at the time and Britain was currently at war with France. Both President Madison and Thomas Jefferson wanted the United States to stay neutral or not take sides during that war. Americans were currently trading with both France and Britain, and they didn’t want this to stop. © Kara Lee

Trouble with Britain © Kara Lee Conflicts with Britain and America began to arise though, and Britain made America their enemy. Britain’s navy was very powerful at this time, but lots of British sailors were working on American ships because it paid them better. British officers began to raid these American ships to look for their British sailors. Occasionally they would capture American sailors instead. They would make these American sailors serve in the British navy. © Kara Lee

Treaties Remember, the United States had made agreements that stated that they would stay off of the lands where the American Indians were living. The Americans were not keeping this promise, and American settlers were moving onto the land. In turn, Americans were currently in disagreements with American Indians because of this. Americans believed that the British who were living in Canada may have been providing these American Indians with weapons. © Kara Lee

War of 1812 On June 18, 1812, America was officially at war with Britain. The reasons for starting the war included: Stop capturing of American sailors Keep Britain from helping American Indians who were fighting against American settlers Drive the British out of Canada and hopefully gain more land © Kara Lee

Burning of the White House In August of 1814, the British troops attacked Washington DC and burned down the White House, Capitol, and other important buildings. © Kara Lee

Francis Scott Key © Kara Lee During the War of 1812, a lawyer named Francis Scott Key, was watching a battle between the British and Americans. During the battle, he noticed that the American flag was still flying high over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. He was inspired by this and wrote a poem titled “The Star-Spangled Banner”. This poem was later put to music and became the nation’s national anthem. © Kara Lee

End of the War The war lasted from 1812-1814. In the end, neither the British nor the Americans won the war, so they agreed to end it. The Treaty of Ghent was signed stating that neither side owned any new land. Things were returned to the way they were before the war. © Kara Lee

Pride in America © Kara Lee After the war, there was a sense of peace and prosperity (economic success and security) in America. This Period was known as “The Era of Good Feelings”. Nationalism is when people are devoted to their country. The War of 1812 provided a sense of nationalism in America. © Kara Lee

Outcomes © Kara Lee Uncle Sam became a symbol of the United States. Click here to learn more about Uncle Sam The White House was rebuilt and continues to be the residence of the president of the country. Click here to learn more about the White House. America’s national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, was written. Click here to learn more about our national anthem. © Kara Lee