The War of 1812
9-4
Objectives
• How the British seized and set fire to
Washington D.C/
• Why Andrew Jackson fought a battle after the
war was over.
War Begins
On June 18, 1812, for the first time the Congress of the United
States declares war.
Opposing Sides
•
•
•
•
Americans
Army consisted of 7,000.
50,000 to 100,000 militia.
Military command from the
Revolutionary War was now
old, retired, or dead.
Tiny Navy
British
• Large, well trained, battle
tested Army.
• Had been fighting the
French in Europe for years.
• Huge Navy
Fort Detroit
American forces led by General
William Hull invade Canada from
Fort Detroit. They are driven back
and Detroit is captured.
Battle of Lake Erie
Oliver Hazard Perry became the
American hero on Lake Erie.
Building his own fleet, Perry
met the British on September
10, 1813. His message about
the victory made for the most
iconic words of the war, “We
have met the enemy, and they
are ours”.
Battle of the Thames
On October 5, American forces
led by William Henry Harrison
defeated British and Shawnee at
the Battle of the Thames.
Shawnee Chief Tecumseh was
killed during the fighting.
Destruction of York
Once again Americans invaded Canada. This time they captured
and burned York, the capitol of Canada.
U.S.S. Constitution
One of three frigates in the U.S. Navy, the Constitution sank two
British warships in the opening months of the war. When solid shot
from the HMS Guerrier failed to penetrate the oak sides of the
Constitution, she earned her immortal nickname, “Old Ironsides”.
Privateers
With virtually no navy, Congress authorized privateers to harass
British shipping.
Horseshoe Bend
In March, 1814, Andrew Jackson led American forces to victory
over the Creeks at Horseshoe Bend. The Creeks were forced to
give up most of their lands.
British Offensive
In June of 1814, British forces led
by the Duke of Wellington
defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
This freed up thousands of British
troops for service in America.
Washington D.C. Burned
The British forces landed in Maryland and marched on to Washington
D.C. Taking revenge for the destruction of York, the British returned
the favor by burning the capitol building and the White House.
Baltimore
The British launched a sea and land campaign against
Baltimore. They felt this port was the heart of privateer
operations. Guarding the harbor entrance was Fort McHenry.
The fort was bombarded for over 23 hours.
Star Spangled Banner
Watching anxiously through the
night was Francis Scott Key.
When he saw the American Flag
flying “by the dawn’s early light”,
he compose a poem titled “The
Defense of Fort McHenry”. The
poem was put to music. In 1931,
Congress officially adopted the
song as our national anthem.
Battle of Plattsburgh
At the same time as Baltimore, Americans turned back a British
invasion forces at Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain.
Treaty of Ghent
Tired of war, both sides had
negotiators bring the War of
1812 to an end. The Treaty of
Ghent was signed December 24,
1814. But because of a lack of
technology, word of the end of
the war would not reach
America for six weeks.
Battle of New Orleans
Although fought after the war
was over, The Battle of New
Orleans goes down in history as
one of the most lopsided wins
ever. It will vault Andrew
Jackson to national hero status.
American Nationalism
With the victory at New Orleans
and the end of the War, the
Hartford convention, a plot to
secede, broke up. The politicians
who had opposed Madison were
disgraced and a new feeling of
allegiance toward the nation,
“nationalism” was spreading.