 George
Washington (1788)
 John Adams (1796)
 Thomas Jefferson (1800)
 James Madison (1808)
 James Monroe (1816)
 So
Far………
• Born in Virginia, 1751
•Attended Princeton
University and became a
lawyer.
•Father of the Constitution
and Bill of Rights.
•Secretary of State during
Jefferson’s Presidency
•President, 1809 to 1817
•Most known for US
involvement during the War
of 1812.
President James Madison
 Following
the Battle at Tippecanoe, Indians
increased their attacks on settlers

Many Americans believed the Native Americans
were being encouraged and armed by the British
 In
1812 many new southerners were elected
to Congress



Members like John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay
were known as the War Hawks because they
favored a war with Britain
They represented interests of farmers moving
west
Wanted to put a stop to Native American attacks

In June of 1812, President Madison sent a message
urging Congress to declare war on Britain





In addition to aiding Indians, Britain had interfered with
U.S. shipping
For years the U.S. had tried to stop British impressment
of Americans
British ships stopped American ships at sea, removed
men, and forced them to serve in the British navy
Congress approved the call for war and thus began
the War of 1812
At the time, this could have been a foolish action



U.S. had a very small army and navy
No offers of help from foreign countries
Fighting against powerful British and Indians
 The
U.S. attempted a quick invasion into
Canada, which failed in the summer of 1812

Poorly equipped and led
 Victories:



William Henry Harrison wins the Battle of the
Thames in October 1813, defeated Brits and
Native American Tecumseh
Andrew Jackson defeats the Creeks at Horseshoe
Bend in March 1814
Creeks soon signed Treaty of Fort Jackson in
which they ceded 23 million acres of land, most
of present day Alabama
 At
first Americans won a few battles at sea
 However, soon the British navy proved their
might and the Americans lost several battles


British vessels outnumbered American ships 20-1
Britain captured or sunk several American ships
(Chesapeake)
 The
British blockaded the U.S. coast which
hurt trade

In 1814, Britain ended a long and difficult war against
French Emperor Napoleon


In the late summer of 1814, Britain sends 4,000
troops into the Chesapeake Bay region





They were now allowed to turn full attention to the U.S.
These troops soon descend upon Washington, D.C.
against little opposition
President James Madison flees the capital
On the evening of August 24, the British enter the city
and set it on fire, including the White House
They then move to Baltimore and begin a siege of
Fort McHenry
Lawyer Francis Scott Key witnesses the all-night
British bombardment and pens the Star Spangled
Banner

The war was controversial
Critics called it Mr. Madison’s War
 The national treasury was empty
 The capitol was in ruins

British blockade was crippling the economy
 Hartford Convention

New Englanders had suffered the worst during the
war
 In December 1814 New Englanders send delegates to
Hartford to consider leaving the union
 In the end they only called for constitutional
amendments to increase power of New England


Soon, British and Americans realized this was a
war no one wanted


Britain realized much like the revolution, this was a
war they could not win
On December 24, 1814 representatives of the
two nations met in Belgium and signed the
Treaty of Ghent
This treaty ends the war
 It does not resolve issues that led U.S. into war
 Nothing is done for impressment or respect of U.S.
neutrality


Many were happy with the end of war and some
called it the second war for independence

Although Treaty of Ghent officially ends the war, our
greatest victory comes 2 weeks later



On December 23, 1814 a British force tries to take
New Orleans




It was a result of the slow communication of the times
News of the treaty does not reach parts of the U.S. until
February 1815
General Andrew Jackson successfully defends the city
On January 8, additional British forces attempt to take
the city again
American riflemen easily win the battle in less than an
hour
The Battle of New Orleans allowed the Americans to
end an unhappy war on a powerful note

It restored patriotism and made Andrew Jackson a
national hero
 The



War of 1812 changed Congressional ideals
War and problems with neutrality demonstrated the
vulnerability of America’s dependence on foreign
economies
After the War of 1812, there was a push to build
enough factories to serve domestic needs
It demonstrated that the U.S. was unable to coordinate a
fiscal and military effort
The embargo forced NE businesses to become
self-sufficient
 Greater sense of American pride and nationalism
