War of 1812
Anger toward Britain
• Issues that led to war
• Impressment
• British practice of drafting Americans on
the sea to serve in British navy
Anger toward Britain
• Grievances Against Native Americans
• British support Native Americans and
encouraged rebellion
Election of 1808
• James Madison, Virginian Republican,
defeated Federalist Charles Pinckney
The War of 1812
• June 1812 President
Madison sends a message
to Congress to declare
war against British
• British interference with
American rights on the
high seas
• "Free Trade and Sailors'
Rights'' was a popular
battle cry
The War of 1812
• Northeastern Federalists
regarded war with
Britain as a mistake
• Could not successfully
challenge British
supremacy on the seas
• The government could
not finance a war
without bankrupting the
country
The War of 1812
• War was supported by
a new generation of
congressmen
• Young Republicans
that Federalists dubbed
"War Hawks.''
The War of 1812
• The American strategy
called for an invasion
of Canada
• The attack on Canada,
was a failure
The War of 1812
• At Detroit, 2000
American troops
surrendered to a much
smaller British and
Indian force
• An attack across the
Niagara River, near
Buffalo, resulted in 900
American prisoners of
war
The War of 1812
• Along Lake
Champlain, a third
army retreated into
American territory
after failing to cut
undefended British
supply lines
The War of 1812
• On September 10,
1813, America won a
major naval victory at
the Battle of Lake Erie
near Put-in-Bay at the
western end of Lake
Erie
War of 1812
• Naval War
• The U.S navy won
several courageous
victories in ship-toship battles
• Captain Isacc Hull
• USS Constitution
(“Old Ironsides”)
War of 1812
• Despite the powerful
Royal Navy’s
blockade of the
American coast
• U.S. ships were able to
slip through and attack
the enemy
The Burning of Washington D.C.
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•
•
•
Napoleon is defeated
British can focus on winning war
Fleet of British troops arrive in Chesapeake Bay
4,000 troops descend on Washington D.C
The Burning of Washington D.C.
• Why would the British
target Washington as the
war entered its third
year?
• Washington as "a meager
village with a few bad
houses and extensive
swamps."
The Burning of Washington D.C.
• Avenge the Americans
who had plundered and
burned public and private
buildings the year before
in York (modern
Toronto)
The Burning of Washington D.C.
• Secretary of State James
Monroe
• Spying on horseback as
the British advanced east
of Washington, sent a
scribbled note to the
State Department
• Told his staff to secure
the precious national
documents and
departmental records
The Burning of Washington D.C.
• Clerks, stuffed bags
with the Declaration of
Independence
• The Constitution
• Treaties
• George Washington,
historic letter resigning
his commission
The Burning of Washington D.C.
• Dolley Madison
• She insisted on staying
to save the portrait of
the first president,
which then hung on
the west wall of the
large dining room.
The Burning of Washington D.C.
• Save that picture if
possible!" cried Dolley
Madison. "Under no
circumstances allow it
to fall into the hands
of the British!"
British Attack Baltimore
• Britain’s next
objective was
Baltimore
• British had to pass the
guns of Fort McHenry
• British bombarded the
fort
• Only 4 killed, 24
wounded
British Attack Baltimore
• Francis Scott Keys
witnessed the shelling
• Inspired to write the
“Star Spangled
Banner”
Treaty of Ghent
• December 24th, 1814
• American and British
negotiators sign a treaty
in Ghent, Belgium
• British recognize the war
was costly and nothing
further could be gained
• Ended the War of 1812
Battle of New Orleans
• Occurred two weeks
after the Treaty of
Ghent was signed
• The British outnumber
the American forces
by 2 to 1
• American losses
totaled 8 dead and 13
wounded
Battle of New Orleans
• British casualties were
2036
• Allowed the
Americans to end on a
powerful and positive
note
Significance of the War of 1812
• Destroyed the Indians’
ability to resist
American expansion
east of the Mississippi
• Allowed the U.S. to
rewrite boundaries
with Spain and
solidify control over
the lower Mississippi
and Gulf of Mexico
Significance of the War of 1812
• The Federalists party never recovered from its
opposition to the war
• A return to the prewar boundaries between United
States and British territories
• Recommended constitutional amendment to restrict
the power of Congress to wage war
Daily Quiz
The ____ was fought after the
War of 1812 had already been
ended by treaty
• Battle of New Orleans
During the War of 1812, the
British invaded the United States
and burnt
• the United States capital
The War of 1812 ended with
• a return to the prewar boundaries between
United States and British territories
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
• The Creek Indians
occupied a hundredacre section of land in
the U-shaped bend of
the Tallapoosa River
• Andrew Jackson led
US troops into battle
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
• 39th U.S. Infantry and
Tennessee militia,
proved successful after
a brief, but severe,
contest
• Creeks found
themselves being
attacked from the front
and behind
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
• 800 warriors perished
• Most devastating
defeat of Native
Americans in North
American history
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
• After the defeat at
Horseshoe Bend, bands
of starving Creeks
surrendered themselves
• In August 1814, the
Treaty of Fort Jackson
forced the Creeks to
forfeit over 20,000,000
acres of land to the
United States
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
• Within five years
white settlers overran
the region and the
state of Alabama was
formed
• The demise of the
Creek Nation had
begun
Questions for Map 1
1. Use Map 1 to make a list of towns and waterways that have
Indian names and a second list of places that have European names.
Be aware that Peter McQueen's is actually an Indian town, one
named after a Creek trader who had an English father.
2. What do the major Creek sites have in common? Why might the
Creek have been chosen these sites for settlements?
3. How are the European sites located in relation to the Creek ones?
Why do you think this might have been so?
4. Find and underline Burnt Corn Creek, Pensacola, Mobile, Ft.
Mims, Ft. Jackson, Horseshoe Bend, and the Tallapoosa and Coosa
Rivers. Each of these places was important in the events associated
with the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
Questions for Drawing
1. Which of the
barricades elements
would have made it part
of an effective defense?
2. Would such a
fortification be effective
today?
3. Which elements
would modern
technology render
useless? What parts
would still work?
Questions for Map 2
1. Would the Horseshoe Bend peninsula, particularly the area labeled
"Tohopeka Village," provide a good defensive position for the Creek in
case of attack? Why or why not?