The Jefferson Era
The War of 1812
Chapter 8, Section 4
Pages 284 - 287
Building Background
Anger against Great Britain’s actions finally provoked
the United States into the War of 1812.
Britain’s great navy gave it a clear advantage at sea,
but the war was also fought on several other fronts.
Victories in major battles along the frontier gave
Americans a new sense of unity.
War at Sea
When the war began, the British navy had hundreds
of ships.
The U.S. Navy had fewer than 20 ships and none of
them as powerful as the British ships.
Most of the British navy’s ships were scattered
around the world.
Although small, the U.S. Navy had well-trained
sailors and some powerful new warships.
Battle Along the Canadian Border
Three attacks were planned – from Detroit, from
Niagara Falls, and from up the Hudson River valley
toward Montreal.
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The attack from Detroit failed when the British and Native
Americans led by Tecumseh captured Fort Detroit.
The other planned attacks failed when state militia
soldiers refused to cross the Canadian border, arguing
that they did not have to fight in a foreign country.
Early Leadership
General William Hull led the army from Detroit to Canada in
an attempt to take control, but he was forced to retreat.
General William Henry Harrison made another attempt
without luck and decided that as long as the British controlled
Lake Erie, they would not be able to invade Canada.
Naval battles were more successful. They navy was more
prepared with three of the fastest frigates, or warships.
On September 10, 1813, after a bloody battle along Lake
Erie led by Oliver Hazard Perry, American ships destroyed
the British naval force.
Battle Along the Canadian Border
In 1813 the U.S. went on the attack again.
A key goal was to break Britain’s control of Lake Erie.
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Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry sailed out to attack the
British on September 10 in the Battle of Lake Erie.
The battle ended when the British surrendered.
With American control of Lake Erie, General William
Henry Harrison march his arm
Battle Along the Canadian Border
With American control of Lake Erie, General William
Henry Harrison marched his army into Canada.
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At the Battle of Thames River in October 1813, Harrison
defeated a combined force of British soldiers and Native
Americans.
During the battle, Native American leader Tecumseh was
killed.
Harrison’s victory ended British power in the Northwest
and Tecumseh’s death ended the alliance with the British.
The Creek War
War with the American Indians erupted in the South.
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Creek Indians, angry at American settlers for pushing into
their lands, attacked settlers in 1813.
A large for attacked Fort Mims on the Alabama River,
destroying the fort and killing close to 250 people.
In response, Andrew Jackson (commander of the
Tennessee militia) gathered about 2,000 volunteers to
move against the Creek nation..
The Creek War
In the spring of 1814 Jackson attacked the Creek
along the Tallapoosa River in Alabama.
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Jackson’s forces easily won the Battle of Horseshoe
Bend.
The Treaty of Fort Jackson ended the Creek War and
forced the Creek to give up millions of acres of their land.
The British Offensive
In the spring of 1814, the British won the war with the French.
They then could send more soldiers to America.
In August 1814, the British marched into the capital of
Washington, D.C., burning and destroying the city.
The British then went on to attack Baltimore, but Baltimore
was ready. The British attacked the city, but were unable to
enter.
Fort McHenry
Roads to Baltimore were barricaded, the harbor was blocked,
and some 13,000 militiamen stood guard. One major part of
the battle for Baltimore was the bombing of Fort McHenry.
Frances Scott Key wrote the poem “Defence of Fort
McHenry” (now known as the “Star-Spangled Banner”) to
exemplify the patriotic feeling when he saw the American flag
still flying over Fort McHenry when the battle was over.
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He watched as bombs burst over the fort at night.
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When he saw the American flag the next morning, he wrote
the poem.
Battle of Lake Champlain
The British goal to capture Plattsburgh, a key city of the
shore of Lake Champlain, was stopped when the American
naval force on Lake Champlain defeated the British fleet on
the lake in September 1814.
The British decided after the Battle of Lake Champlain loss
that the war in North America was too costly and
unnecessary.
In December 1814, in Ghent, Belgium, American and British
representatives signed the Treaty of Ghent to end the war.
The treaty did not change any of the existing borders.
The Treaty of Ghent
Treaty ending the War of 1812.
Signed in Ghent, Belgium on December 24, 1814.
The war produced feelings of patriotism in Americans for
having stood up to the mighty British.
Some called the war, “The Second War for Independence.”
One Final Battle
One final battle was fought after the peace treaty was signed
but before work reached the United States of the peace
agreement.
The Battle of New Orleans in December 18144 was a bloody
battle in which the Americans were victorious.
Andrew Jackson led the American army and became a hero.
His fame helped him later to win the presidency in 1827.
The Hartford Convention
The Federalists in New England had opposed the war from
the start.
At the Hartford Convention, they drew up a list of proposed
amendments to the Constitution.
Once the word came of Jackson’s victory and the peace
treaty, their grievances seemed unpatriotic and their party
lost favor.