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AIM: How did the
War of 1812 affect
the developing
United States?
CAUSES of the War
of 1812
Cause #1 – British interference
with American shipping –
naval blockade
 Great
Britain and France were at war with
each other. Great Britain did NOT want
the US to provide the French with food
and supplies, so they set up a partial
blockade.
Cause #2 – Impressment
(kidnapping) American sailors
 British
“impressed” or kidnapped
American sailors and forced them to work
on British ships. Between 1803 to 1812, the
British impressed about 6,000 American
sailors.
Cause #3 – Americans believe
British push Native Americans
to fight settlers.
 Many
American settlers believed that the
British were stirring up the Native
resistance to frontier settlement.
Cause #4 – Western members of
the House of Representatives
(called War Hawks) want to
expand into Canada.
 Leaders
such as Congressman Henry Clay
angrily demanded war against Britain.
These “war hawks” wanted British aid to
Natives Americans stopped, and they
wanted the British out of Canada.
EFFECTS of the War of
1812
Effect #1 – Heroism of Andrew
Jackson, and others increased
American patriotism.
 American
men were pretty courageous
and did some impressive things all for the
good of not themselves, but the country.
Effect #2 – Native Americans
weakened
 The
war broke the strength of Native
Americans who had sided with the British.
Effect #3 – Growth of US
manufacturing.
 War
interrupted trade and Americans
were forced to make many of the goods
they had previously imported. We made
more goods at home.
Effect #4 – US proves it could
defend itself against world’s
strongest military power.
 Britain
was still viewed as the mightiest
military power of the time and the US was
able to beat them… again!
Effect #5 – Americans gain
confidence in country’s ability
to survive and prosper.
 Our
ability to defend ourselves against a
powerful country and win as well as the
US manufacturing more and more goods
made Americans believe in the stability of
their country.
The Star-Spangled Banner,
Francis Scott Key, 1814
The 35 year-old lawyer Francis Scott Key was an
aspiring poet who witnessed the British Navies
attack on Fort McHenry on September 13, 1814.
After a night of heavy bombardment by British
cannons and rockets, the Americans held their
breath in anticipation for whether or not the
American flag would fly over the Fort in the
morning, signifying they had successfully
survived the British assault. The poem he wrote
would become the United States National
Anthem. Star Spangled Banner
Why do you think the Star-Spangled Banner has
become the National Anthem for the United States?
Treaty of Ghent
On December 24, 1814 the Treaty of Ghent was
signed, ending the War of 1812
-The United States solidified control
over the Northwest Territory, preventing the
formation of an independent Native American
territory
-The war served as a unifying force
for Americans, rekindling a new sense of national
unity and pride in the face of the political division
that had formed in the country

The Battle of New Orleans

A British naval force had planned an attack on the
city of New Orleans and, thanks to the slow speed
of communications, the Americans under the
command of Andrew Jackson would meet the
British Army in early 1815
 Andrew
Jackson,
outnumbered and in
command of an army of
untrained militia, including
Africans and pirates, would
successfully defeat the British
invasion force
 The battle would serve as a
source of pride for Americans,
and would cause Andrew
Jackson to become one of the
most famous men in the nation