Download The War of 1812

Encouraged by the War Hawks
who wanted to make England
pay for damaging our national
prestige and interfering with
our Sovereign authority,
President Madison decides to
declare War on England
Madison makes his case for War in a
letter read to Congress on June 1, 1812
First, he accused the British government
of committing acts (impressments of
American sailors) “hostile to the United
States as an independent and neutral
nation.”
Second, he declared that American Ships
were unable to sail freely “our commerce
has been plundered in every sea…”
Third, he blamed the British for
encouraging frontier warfare against
American settlers and for supplying
weapons to Native Americans.
The War hawks take up
Madison’s cause and
the Congress votes for
War.
President Madison
Declares War on June
18, 1812
The War of
1812 was
known as
“Madison’s
War”
War…Really?
•
The US was unprepared militarily to go to War:

US Army had been downsized by Jefferson


The US Navy was severely undeveloped


•
•
Not well trained or ready to fight
US had a 12-ship navy vs. Britain’s 800 ships.
American Men preferred to enlist in their state militias and fight close to home
 they did not want to go to where the fight was happening
The US was unprepared Financially to go to War:

Revenue from trade had declined

Economic Recession

Industrial Sector not prepared to meet demands of war
Not everyone wanted the War and some were very reluctant to fight
Overview
of the War
of 1812
2
The war was
conducted in four
theatres of operations:
3
1. The Atlantic Ocean
2. The Great Lakes and
the Canadian frontier
3. Mid-Atlantic/
Chesapeake Bay
Washington DC & Baltimore
4. The Southern States
4
1
War on the Atlantic Ocean
• The U.S. Navy was
newly formed and
outnumbered
• In November of 1812,
the British blockaded
the Chesapeake and
Delaware Bays
• The blockade grew
throughout the war
• By 1813, most
American ships were
unable to leave their
ports
USS Constitution in Battle off the Coast of
Northern Canada
A great
Naval
Victory for
the United
States
The USS
Constitution
destroyed a
British Ship
in our
greatest win
on the Seas
213 year old USS Constitution
1812 Battles
1813 Battles
•Natives fight with the British
•American surrender Fort Detroit to British
The War in Canada 1812-1813
•US Burns York (now Toronto)
•Commodore Perry Defeated the British on Lake Erie
•American forces defeat British and kill Indian Chief Tecumseh at Battle of the Thames,
ending the British / Indian Alliance
The Battle and Burning
of York: 1813
Burn Now –
Pay Later…
September 1813: America Defeats England at
The Battle of Lake Erie
Commander of the America Fleet Oliver
Hazard Perry: “We have met the enemy
and they are ours!”
The victory
forced the
British to leave
Detroit and
made Perry a
hero.
In the Battle of the Thames River,
Americans defeated a smaller force of
about 600 British and 1000 Native
Americans led by Tecumseh, who was
killed in the Battle
The War in the Mid-Atlantic /
Chesapeake Bay 1814-1815
This Just In:
Napoleon
Defeated !!!
April 1814
14,000 of the best
British troops leave for
America to fight for the
Crown
The British decide to take
advantage of their
stranglehold on
American port cities and
the soldiers head for
Chesapeake Bay and the
cities of Washington DC
and Baltimore…
1st Stop – Washington DC
• The British invaded
Washington, D.C.
in August 1814
The Empire Strikes Back –
The Siege and Burning of Washington D.C.
The low-point of the War
The White House
and the
US Capitol
Building destroyed
by fire
The Battle at Fort
McHenry
Oh Say Can you See…
• Francis Scott Key: an
American lawyer and
prisoner of the British
• Saw an American flag
flying over Ft.
McHenry after the
battle
• The flag inspired Key
to write “The StarSpangled Banner”
The
War in
the
South
18141815
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans
(1815)
– The most
famous/important
battle of the War
– Americans were lead to
victory by General
Andrew Jackson
– The battle continued
even after the war
ended because word did
not reach the Americans
for several weeks
The Battle of
New Orleans
2400 British
soldiers were
killed or
wounded.
333 American
casualties
It’s Over!!! The Treaty of Ghent
A Treaty of Peace and
Amity….Signed in 1815
in Belgium
Results of the War of 1812
1. Strengthens America's standing in the world – a Super
Power. American is not a country to be trifled with
2. Growth of American Pride and the “Era of Good Feelings”
3. Brings about a more positive relationship with England and
Europe -- trade and travel
4. Increases the rate of Westward migration
5. Shattered the strength of Native American Resistance
6. Paved the way for American acquisition of Florida
7. Encouragement of American Industry and technology