Chapter 12

Essential question for today: Can and should the War of 1812 be considered the “Second War for American Independence?”

Thomas Jefferson retired after two terms. President James Madison, elected in 1808, inherited a mess.

Young Congressmen – “war hawks” – were eager to fight Britain for control of the seas and for control of western and Canadian frontiers. Northern merchants did not want war and secretly talked of secession. A divided Congress declared war in 1812 and made plans to invade Canada.

Americans thought invading Canada would be a “matter of marching.” Much to their dismay, the British soon gained the upper hand. The death of Tecumseh in 1813 ended the British alliance with the Natives and allowed the Americans to gain and keep control of Detroit.

The British navy blockaded the Chesapeake Bay and raided the towns on its coast. The British set their sights on Washington, D.C., in which they burned the facilities of the U.S. government (but not private residences). The burning of Washington was said to be in retaliation for American actions in York (now Toronto).

First Lady Dolley Madison refused to leave the President’s House even after government officials and her own bodyguard had left. She left only moments before the British entered the home, and is personally responsible for saving many American artifacts.

The Treaty of Ghent (December 1814) ended the war that “neither side could win.” (The Canadian border has remained peaceful ever since the Rush-Bagot Agreement of 1818.)

The Battle of New Orleans was fought two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent was signed. The British were soundly retreating.

In the meantime, New England and Federalists planned a meeting to discuss protecting New England’s business interests. Called the Hartford Convention (December 1814), they contemplated seceding from the Union based on their beliefs that the government’s decisions were unconstitutional.

1. America will fight against perceived wrongs. 2. Americans fight well. 3. War heroes advance to the Presidency. 4. Manufacturing ultimately prospered. 5. National pride grew.

Following the tradition established by George Washington, James Madison retired after two terms. James Monroe was elected President in 1816.

After the war, Congressman Henry Clay garnered support for his national economic plan, the American System. Clay felt that fledgling (new)American manufacturers needed protection from cheap imports.

His American System proposed 1. protective tariffs 2. a strong American banking system 3. government funding for internal improvements (infrastructure – roads and canals) 4. abundant credit

Patriotism was high, the economy was on the upswing, and political rivalries evaporated for a time, earning this time frame the nickname “The Era of Good Feelings.”

Missouri requested admission to the U.S. as a slave state, causing an uproar in Congress. In the end, a compromise was agreed on. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 Admitted Missouri as a slave state Admitted Maine as a free state Slavery would be prohibited in the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase north of the line 36˚ 30’.

The defining moment of foreign policy in the United States came when James Monroe, in his State of the Union address, proclaimed the United States' opinion that European powers should no longer colonize the Americas or interfere with the affairs of sovereign nations located in the Americas, such as the United States of America, Mexico, and others.

The Monroe Doctrine asserted the authority of the U.S. over the western hemisphere. Nonintervention and noncolonization

Last but not least, American and Britain agreed to “share” Oregon in the Treaty of 1818.

General Andrew Jackson, sent to Florida to keep the peace there after Spanish troops left to fight in South America, overstepped his authority and deposed the Spanish governor of Florida. Spain ceded Florida to the U.S. in exchange for U.S. agreement to abandon any claims to Texas. (Adams- Onis Treaty)