Chapter 9 The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 4 The War of 1812
War Begins
•The War Hawks were confident in a quick victory
•But the Americans were unprepared for war
•The regular army had fewer than 7,000 troops
•States added between 50,000 and 100,000 poorly trained militia
•Veterans of the American Revolution were too old for warfare
More of the War Begins
•Not everyone supported “Mr. Madison’s War”
•The Americans underestimated the strength of the British and their Native American Allies
•War began in July of 1812
•General William Hull led the American army from Detroit into Canada
•Tecumseh and his warriors met Hull, and Hull surrendered Detroit to the British
•William Henry Harrison also made an unsuccessful attempt to invade Canada
•Harrison decided that the Americans could not do anything as long as the British controlled Lake Erie
Naval Battles
•Oliver Hazard Perry was ordered to seize Lake Erie from the British
•September 10, 1813- Perry’s ship defeated the British naval force
•Perry sent a message to General Harrison that said “We have met the enemy and they are ours”
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Harrison cut off the British and Indian allies on October 5th
•The Battle of the Thames- Tecumseh was killed
The Americans Attack
•Americans attacked the town of York (Present day Toronto)
•Burned parliament buildings
•Canada was not conquered, but the Americans won some victories by the end of 1813
•The U.S. Navy had 3 of the fastest frigates
•The Constitution destroyed four British vessels in four months
•Privateers captured many British vessels
Setbacks for Native Americans
•Before the Battle of the Thames, Tecumseh talked with the Creeks about the Confederation
•But hopes of a Confederation died with Tecumseh
•March 1814- Andrew Jackson attacked the Creeks
•Jackson’s forces slaughtered more than 550 Creek people
•Known as the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the defeat forced the Creeks to give up their lands
The British Offensive
•Spring 1814- British put full attention to war in America
•The British had defeated Napoleon and sent more troops to America
•August 1814- The British sailed into Chesapeake Bay
•Marched to Washington D.C. and overpowered the American Militia
•“They proceeded, without a moment’s delay, to burn and destroy everything in the most distant degree connected
with the government”
•The Capital and White House were burned
•A thunderstorm put out the fires
Baltimore Holds Firm
•The British did not try to hold Washington D.C.
•They left and sailed north to Baltimore
•The people of Baltimore held firm against the British
•Defense from Fort McHenry in the harbor kept the British from entering the city
•Francis Scott Key, an attorney, watched the bombs burst over Fort McHenry during the night of September 1314
•That morning he saw the American flag still flying
•He wrote a poem that later became known as•The Star Spangled Banner
Defeat at Plattsburgh
•General Sir George Prevost led more than 10,000 British troops into New York from Canada
•His goal was to capture Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain
•American naval forces defeated the British fleet in 1814
•The British retreated into Canada
•The British decided the war was too costly and unnecessary
•The British would gain little and was not worth the effort
Battle of New Orleans
•The British moved closer to New Orleans
•Andrew Jackson and his troops waited for them
•British attacked on January 8, 1815
•Jackson said don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes
•American riflemen behind cotton bales and mowed down the redcoats
•21 Americans were killed
•2,030 British were lost
The War Ends
•American and British representatives signed the Treaty of Ghent in December 24, 1814
•What is the problem?
•Battle of New Orleans- January 8, 1815 and the Treaty of Ghent December 24, 1814
•Treaty showed that there was no clear winner
•No territory changed hands
•Nothing was mentioned about the impressment of sailors
American Nationalism
•New England Federalists opposed “Mr. Madison’s War” from the start
•They made a list of proposed amendments to the Constitution
•In the triumph following the war, the Federalists’ grievances seemed unpatriotic
•The party lost the public’s respect and was weakened
•The War Hawks took over the leadership of the Republican Party and carried on the Federalist philosophy of a
STRONG central government
•They favored trade, western expansion, development of the economy, and a strong army and navy
•After the war, Americans felt a new sense of patriotism and national identity
•The nation also gained respect from other nations
Essential Question
How did the United States benefit from its victory in the War of 1812?
–1. End to the threat of a Native American confederation
–2. Growth of national pride
–3. National identity
–4. Respect from other nations
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