1. The War of 1812

2. Causes of the War- Violation of U.S. Neutrality
U.S. point of view:
Violation of U.S. neutrality at sea
Trouble with the British on the western frontier
Britain and France at war- did not care about U.S. neutrality
Seized American ships for supplies to fight their war
Most Americans: remembered Britain as a cruel enemy during the Revolution and remembered France had helped us out in that war
British violations of U.S. neutrality were the worst- they impressed U.S. sailors into their navy

3. Causes of the War- Frontier Pressures
American settlers gradually pushed Native Americans farther and farther west
Blamed the British for instigating Native American rebellions against settlers
Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and Prophet attempted to unite all tribes east of the Mississippi in an effort to defend their land from further encroachment

4. Causes of the War- Frontier Pressures
White settlers persuaded governor of Indiana Territory to take action
Gen. William Henry Harrison
Battle of Tippecanoe (1811)- Harrison destroyed the Shawnee headquarters and put an end to Tecumseh’s efforts to form a Native American confederacy
British provided limited aid to Tecumseh
Americans still blamed them for starting the rebellion

5. War Hawks
1810- Election brings a new group of young Democratic-Republicans into Congress
Known as the war hawks- eager to go to war with Great Britain
Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun
War with Britain was the only way to:
Defend American honor
Gain lands in Canada
Destroy Native American resistance on the western frontier

6. Declaration of War
British don’t really listen to U.S. demands to stop violating neutrality at sea + political pressure from war hawks = Madison declaring war against Great Britain
Ironically, Britain had agreed to suspend its naval blockade by this time (June 1812)
News of Britain’s decision reached the White House AFTER war was declared
Madison wins reelection in 1812, but Congress nor Americans are united in support of the war

7. “Mr. Madison’s War” New England merchants most opposed to the war
Making a lot of money off the war between Great Britain and France
Did not see impressment as a big problem
Religious ties to Protestantism (most British were Protestant)
Federalists viewed the war as Democratic-Republican scheme to conquer Canada and Florida
Thought they were trying to increase Democratic-Republican voting strength
Some Democratic-Republicans opposed the war also
Thought it violated their commitment to limited federal power and maintaining peace

8. Military Defeats
Madison’s military strategies for victory were based on two things:
Napoleon’s continued success against the British in Europe
A U.S. land campaign against Canada
A three-part invasion of Canada (and other attempts at invasion) was easily repelled by the British
1813- American raid and burning of government buildings in modern-day Toronto only encouraged more violent retaliation from the British

9. Naval Battles
1812- U.S. warship Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) raised American morale by defeating/sinking a British ship off the coast of Canada
American privateers captured numerous British merchant ships
British navy successfully established a blockade around the U.S. coast
Crippled trading and fishing

10. Naval Battles
1813- most important naval battle took place on Lake Eerie
American victory
Led the way for Gen. William Henry Harrison’s victory at the Battle of Thames River
Tecumseh was killed in this battle
1814- British fleet was defeated on Lake Champlain
British retreated, abandoned their plans to invade New England

11. Chesapeake Campaign Spring 1814- Napoleon defeated in Europe
British focus their forces on fighting the U.S.
Summer British army marched through D.C.
Set fire to the White House, Capitol, and other government buildings

12. Chesapeake Campaign British also attempted to take Baltimore
Fort McHenry held out after a night of bombardment by the British
This event was immortalized by Francis Scott Key in his poem, “The Star Spangled Banner”
Our national anthem!

13. Southern Campaign
U.S. troops in the South commanded by Gen. Andrew Jackson
March Gen. Jackson leads Americans to victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (present-day Alabama)
Eliminated the Creek nation; opened these lands to white settlers

14. Southern Campaign
British effort to control the Mississippi was halted by Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans
Led a force of white soldiers, free African Americans, and Creoles
Impressive victory but meaningless- occurred two weeks AFTER a treaty ending the war was signed in Ghent, Belgium…

15. The Treaty of Ghent 1814- British were weary of war
Had been fighting Napoleon for over ten years; wanted to maintain peace in Europe
President Madison realized Americans would be unable to win a decisive victory
Christmas Eve, an agreement was reached between American and British diplomats

16. The Treaty of Ghent Terms of the treaty:
Stop all fighting
Return any conquered territory to the country it belonged to before
Reestablish the pre-war boundary between Canada and U.S.
Treaty never addressed the initial causes that started the war in the first place
Britain did not compromise on anything concerning impressment or blockades
The war ended in a stalemate without a victory for either side

17. The Hartford Convention
Radical Federalists in the New England were threatening to secede from the Union because of the war
December a special convention was held to discuss the possibility in Hartford, Connecticut
Eventually rejected the idea of secession but proposed ideas to limit Democratic- Republican power in Congress (two-thirds vote from both houses to declare war)
News of the Battle of New Orleans and the Treaty of Ghent ended criticisms of the war
Federalists got even weaker- they were stamped as unpatriotic because of the Hartford Convention and calls for secession

18. The War’s Legacy
U.S. gained the respect of other nations having fought two wars with Great Britain
U.S. accepted Canada as a part of the British Empire
Federalist party came to an end (denounced for talks of secession)
Talks of nullification and secession set a precedent that would be later used by the South

19. The War’s Legacy
Native Americans were essentially abandoned by the British- forced to surrender more lands to white settlers
British naval blockade forced more factories to be built in the U.S.- pushed the country towards becoming more industrially self-sufficient
War heroes like Jackson and Harrison would become the new generation of political leaders
A feeling of nationalism (pride in one’s country) grew stronger as many began to believe our country’s future was in the West and away from Europe