The United States declared War on Great
Britain on June 12, 1812. The war was
declared as a result of long simmering
disputes with Great Britian. The central
dispute surrounded the impressment of
American soldiers by the British. The
British had previously attacked the USS
Chesapeake and nearly caused a war two
year earlier. In addition, disputes
continued with Great Britain over the
Northwest Territories and the border with
Canada. Finally, the attempts of Great
Britain to impose a blockade on France
during the Napoleonic Wars was a
constant source of conflict with the
United States.
I. Why?
1. British still in America
a. Capturing trade ships
-no respect for America
b. British control Canada
-infringe on American trade
-try to control Great Lakes
War of 1812
II. America’s advantages / Disadvantages
1. Advantages
a. Strong economy
b. Bigger population
c. Nationalism
-beat Britain before
• Objective
-Drive them out of N. America
2. Disadvantages
a. Weak Navy
b. Offensive War
-Canadians defending
“Homeland”
III. Push Toward Canada
1. Failure
library.thinkquest.org/22916/ex1812.html
a. Surrender @ Detroit
b. Surrender at Fort Dearborn
-Chicago
-to Tecumseh
-N.W. Territory open
to British
IV. Naval Victory
home1.gte.net/vzn05sxc/history.htm
1. 1813-Capt. Oliver Perry
a. Victory @ Detroit
-Lake Erie
b. Gen. William Henry Harrison
-Defeated Tecumseh
-Tippecanoe Creek
-End Indian resistance
After constructing a squadron of
ships, Commodore Perry defeated a
British squadron at the Battle of Lake
Erie, September 10, 1813 near Put-inBay. Perry’s victory secured American
control of Lake Erie for the remainder
of the war and allowed Major General
William Henry Harrison’s Army to
reclaim American posts on the Ohio
and Michigan frontier, opening those
territories to American settlement
after the war. Flying a flag with the
words of the mortally-wounded
Captain James Lawrence "Don't Give
up the Ship!", he totally defeated the
British squadron and reported to
General Harrison, "We have met the
enemy and they are ours..."
V. 1814 - Worst Year of the War
1.
2.
3.
4.
British strengthened blockade
U.S. out of $
British Captured and Burned DC
Decline in American Nationalism
January 1, 1814
The British Burn Washington, D. C.
The British hoped that the burning of the American
capital would have a psychological impact on the will of
the Americans to continue the conflict. As the British
army of approximately 4,000 approached, the majority of
Washington residents fled the city. On August 24th
American defenders, with President James Madison in
attendance, were quickly routed by the invaders in a
battle at Bladensburg a few miles from the city. A
messenger was dispatched to the White House to warn
First Lady Dolly Madison of the impeding arrival of the
British. She and her staff fled by carriage across the
Potomac - taking with her the full-length portrait of
George Washington that had been torn from a White
House wall. That evening, the vanguard of the British
army reached Capitol Hill and began its systematic
destruction of all public buildings in the city.
VI. Battle of New Orleans
1. Andrew Jackson
a. Unlikely success
b. Wall of dirt & soldiers
c. Defend New Orleans
-2,000 British casualties
-8 American casualties
d. Boost American Nationalism
e. British Surrender
-Treaty of Ghent – 12/24/1814
-America = world power
British losses................700 killed, 1400 wounded, 500 prisoners.
U.S. losses...........8 killed, 13 wounded.
Winston Churchill said this of the Battle of New Orleans:
"Never in the field of human conflict were so many killed with so few
casualties on the opposing side."
By this miraculous divine intervention, the young U.S. Republic was
saved from the threat of foreign invasion until the Civil War.
It was the most lop-sided victory in the history of
warfare because a small ragtag militia had defeated
the most professional army in the world. During the
19th century, January 8, was a BIG holiday and
celebration in the U.S. Almost like the 4th of July in
January.
Questions:
1) List the main events of the War of
1812.
2) What were the results of the War of
1812?