1. Unit 7, Notes 3 1

2.  America announced neutrality as war continued between Britain and France  Britain declared (Orders in Council) that all ships going to Europe needed British licenses and would be searched for contraband (smuggled goods)  Napoleon then declared that all merchants obeying the British system would have their goods confiscated when they reached Europe  British navy was short on recruits because of low pay and terrible conditions  Many British sailors often deserted their ships for American vessels  British navy responded with impressment: legalized form of kidnapping people into military service  American ships were pulled over by British vessels searching for deserters but American sailors were often impressed into British service as well 2

3.  British warship Leopard opened fire on the American ship Chesapeake after the British were denied access to search the Chesapeake for deserters  President Jefferson asked Congress to pass the Embargo Act of 1807 (banned all trade with Europe)  The embargo hurt the United States more than Britain or France because American merchants and farmers depended on European trade  Congress repealed the embargo in 1809  New Republican President James Madison inherited the international crisis in 1809 3

4.  Macon’s Bill Number Two  Trade opened with Britain and France  Guarantee that America would stop importing goods from Britain if France would drop its trade restrictions or vice versa  Plan worked and British economy faltered  War Hawks  Members of Congress that wanted war with Britain  Came from the South and West  Included new generation of young politicians that were looking to leave their mark like the generation of Founding Fathers before them  Led by Henry Clay (Kentucky), John C. Calhoun (South Carolina), and Felix Grundy (Tennessee)  Wanted war with Britain because…  British trade restrictions hurt Southern planters and Western farmers that shipped their goods overseas  Westerners blamed British in Canada for arming Native Americans and encouraging them to attack western settlements 4

5.  Tecumseh (Shawnee Indian Chief) led a Native American campaign to unite the tribes in protection of their sacred lands  “The Prophet” (brother of Tecumseh) called for a spiritual rebirth of Native Americans  Their camp was located in Prophetstown on the Tippecanoe River in Indiana  Battle of Tippecanoe  William Henry Harrison (Governor of Indiana territory) led a raid to destroy Tecumseh and “The Prophet’s” uprising at Prophetstown  Native Americans resistance is shattered and many Indians lost confidence in “the Prophet’s” leadership  Tecumseh fled north and sought refuge in Canada  Americans believed the British were trying to protect Tecumseh  War Declared!  In June of 1812, Congress declared war on Britain  Unknown in Washington…Britain had dropped the Orders in Council only 2 days before 5

6.  America divided over war and poorly prepared  Army had fewer than 7,000 troops  Navy had only 16 ships  Republicans had shut down the national bank and now had trouble borrowing money, especially from New England bankers that opposed the war  Hartford Convention: meeting of Federalist delegates that called for additional constitutional amendments to protect their region’s political power (1814)  America Strikes British Canada  Americans tried to attack British from three directions: Detroit, Niagara Falls, and the Hudson River Valley near Montreal  Many American militia refuse to cross the border and fight because they oppose a war of conquest  British defeated the Americans at all three locations  America bounced back after Commodore Oliver Perry defeated the British fleet and gained control of Lake Eerie  General Harrison was then able to retake Detroit and defeat the British/Native American forces at the Battle of the Thames River  By 1813, however, America had failed to conquer Canadian territory 6

7.  After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, the British were able to send more troops and ships to America  British strategy  Navy would raid American coastal cities  Army would march south from Montreal to New York and cut off New England  Army and Navy would seize New Orleans and close the Mississippi to western farmers  Washington, D.C. falls  British easily defeated American militia and entered the capital  President Madison and government officials fled but Dolly Madison was able to secure a few items from the White House  The British burned the White House and the Capitol Building 7

8.  Battle of Fort McHenry  After burning Washington, the British sailed across the Chesapeake and attacked Baltimore, Maryland  American forces inflicted heavy casualties and Ft. McHenry withstood the British bombardment  American Francis Scott Key was inspired by the sight of the American flag that continued to wave throughout the victorious battle and wrote a poem called "The Star Spangled Banner" which later became our national anthem "The Star Spangled Banner"  Battle of Lake Champlain  American naval force defeated the British fleet on Lake Champlain and prevented the British army from attacking New York 8

9.  Battle of Horseshoe Bend  Red Sticks (Creeks) massacred white settlers at Fort Mims (present day Baldwin County, AL)  Major General Andrew Jackson led militia and defeated the Red Sticks Horseshoe Bend (800 Creek casualties)  Treaty of Ghent  Officially ended the War of 1812 on December 24, 1814  Restored prewar boundaries (no territory changed hands)  Inspired American patriotism and national unity  Battle of New Orleans Battle of New Orleans  Using cotton bales for protection, General Andrew Jackson’s forces mowed down the advancing British forces and won the Battle of New Orleans  Jackson became a national hero  New surge of American nationalism (feelings of strong patriotism) swept the nation and destroyed the Federalist Party that appeared divisive in view of the Hartford Convention  Irony…Battle of New Orleans took place in January of 1815, after the peace treaty had already been signed! (News travels slow aboard sailing ships) 9