Download War of 1812

War of 1812
Impressment
British War ships would stop
and draft by force American
sailors from American ships.
The British were fighting
Napoleonic France and
needed sailors to replace the
dead ones.
British Blockade
The British were fighting an
epic war with Napoleonic
France when the United
States declared war in 1812.
The British blocked all
shipping from and to
American Ports with their
superior Navy.
War Hawk
These were Americans living in the West who were
tired of the British in Canada supplying and encouraging
Indians to attack Americans. They wanted to defeat the
Indians and attack the British in Canada.
Battle of Lake Erie
An American fleet on Lake Erie
under Oliver Perry defeated a
British fleet.
Later Captain Perry sent a
message to General Harrison…
“We have met the enemy, and
they are ours.”
General Harrison then attacked
and took Detroit. The British and
their Indian allies under
Tecumseh were defeated.
The Battle and Burning of
Washington D.C.
In retaliation of American
forces under General
Harrison burning the
Canadian Capital of York,
British forces invade and
burn Washington D.C.
That very night the city
was hit by a Hurricane and
a Tornado. The British
retreated to the coast.
Battle of Baltimore
The British attacked
Baltimore because it
was a base for many
American Privateers
(ships who raid British
merchant ships). The
British land forces are
defeated and Fort
McHenry does not fall.
The British retreat.
The Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key watched the bombardment of Fort
McHenry while he was being held on a British warship.
He wrote a poem that later became our national
anthem.
Treaty of Ghent
Was signed at the end of
1814. It ended the fighting
but solved nothing. There
was no clear winner and
trade and border disputes
were settled with later talks.
The Battle of New Orleans
The British invaded and hoped to capture the City of New
Orleans so they could control trade on the Mississippi and
Ohio Rivers. General Andrew Jackson led a force that defeated
the British.