 Elected 4 th president in 1808  A quiet, intelligent man with years of political experience  Embargo Act was taken back so he had to find a new policy for peace  Tried to remain Neutral in war matters still  Wanted to lift restrictions on trading with France and England; however they had to agree to lift their restrictions as well

 Napoleon of France takes advantage of Madison’s plan  Napoleon got the French to agree to the plan with a motive to hinder the British

 Changes in 1811: › New congress made up of young aggressive men; nickname given to them was “The Boys” the later the “War Hawks” › Henry Clay chosen to lead, young frontiersman, brilliant speaker › Henry Clay and his followers wanted to stop Indian attacks (which they blamed on the British), and open the seas to trade with anyone of their choosing with no restrictions › These ideas called for War talk, because British continued to seize American ships

 Since the first presidents war was not an option because it could destroy America  However some 20 years later the constitution was established, country was building, and new ideas were developed  war was beginning to become one of those new ideas  Population increased, U.S. had doubled in size; colonial America was becoming a memory of the past  Americans were feeling the needed to take action and the War Hawks led the way

 Henry Clay and John Calhoun saw English-owned Canada as an easy target  War Hawks continued to stir up the public about war  The Northern states opposed war with England, however many still saw a purpose for it

 US army poorly trained and small  Old Generals with little to no war experience  Money wasn’t there to train and pay for an Army  Only a few Warships  Despite these disadvantages talk of war still continued

 The election of 1812 was between Madison (who was supported by the War Hawks) and DeWitt Clinton  It was close however Madison won and this was a huge victory for those that supported war with England

 Madison declared war of June 19, 1812  He was unaware that the British had decided to accept his plan and reopen trade  America was unprepared, and lost their attack on Canada

 Captain Oliver Hazard Perry defeated a British ship  It stopped a possible British invasion on the Ohio Valley  Next, General William Henry Harrison defeated a British and Indian force, an Indian Chief was killed which put an end to organizing the Indians to help  Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek Indians and this forced the Indians to sign a treaty

 In August of 1814 the British landed about 4,000 soldiers near Washington, D.C.  They marched into D.C. and burned the Capitol building and the White House  Other buildings were burned as well

 British attacked Fort McHenry which guarded the entrance to Baltimore’s harbor  Shells exploded all through the night  Francis Scott Key watched this take place and wrote a poem about it called “The Star-Spangled Banner”  Obviously becomes our National Anthem

 A battle was fought at new Orleans after a treaty had been signed ending the War of 1812  Jackson led the battle 8,000 English soliders  Jackson had won  He was very respected for the win

 War ends in 1814, war went bad for both sides  British people wanted the war to end, they were at war with France as well  In America there was confusion about the war and mixed feelings  American’s wanted peace

 Weeks of discussion between the English and Americans finally ended in a settlement  The treaty pretty much stated at all things would go back to whom they belonged before the war  The war was declared a tie

 Often called the Second Revolutionary War  This is when the British finally looked at America as a nation  America won the respect of nations worldwide  America had learned to take care of itself