EQ: To what degree was the War of
1812 a Second War of
Independence? How did the war
lead to the growth of nationalism?
CHAPTER 12
Causes of the War in America
 British manipulation
of trade and the Sea
 Impressments
 British support of
the Indians in the
West
 Nationalism: assert
American rights
American Problems
The US was unprepared militarily:
 Had a 12-ship navy vs. Britain’s
800 ships.
 Americans disliked a draft 
preferred to enlist in the
disorganized state militias.
Financially unprepared:
 Flood of paper $.
 Revenue from import tariffs
declined.
Regional disagreements.
Overview
of the
War
of
1812
U. S. Invasions of 1812
•The Americans tried
to invade Canada;
beaten back by the
Canadians; then
attacked by sea -more
successful.
•USS Constitution-vs.HMS Guerriere (off the
coast of Nova Scotia)
Campaigns of 1813
•Oliver Hazard Perrycaptured a British
fleet in Lake Erie.
“We have met the
enemy and they are
ours.”
•General Harrison's
army overtook the
British at Detroit and
Fort Malden in the
Battle of the Thames
in October 1813.
1814: What a Year!!!
 Aug 24th: British forces
overwhelm Americans at the
Battle of Bladensburg, MD
and march unopposed into
Washington D.C.; burn the
city
 Americans forced the
invading British army near
Plattsburgh to retreat on
September 11, 1814; saved
the upper New York from
conquest.
Battle of Fort McHenry,
Sept. 13-14, 1814
•Bombarded for 2
days by B. fleet –they
thought Baltimore
was a mess of
privateers
•British decide
unbreakable
Oh Say Can You See
By the Dawn’s Early Light…
-- Francis Scott Key
Gave proof through the night,
That our flag was still there..
Treaty of Ghent
December 24, 1814
•Armistice
•Both sides stopped
fighting and conquered
territory was restored.
•Ends the war
“ Not 1 inch of territory
ceded or lost”
The Battle of New Orleans, 1815
•Last major battle of the War
of 1812.
•The fight took place on
January 8, 1815 Andrew
Jackson and Americans
defeated the British in 30
minutes.
•The Treaty of Ghent, signed
two weeks before the battle
but the news had not yet
crossed the Atlantic.
Hartford Convention
December, 1814 – January, 1815
-Financial assistance to compensate for lost trade from
embargos.
-Constitutional amendments requiring a 2/3 vote in
Congress before an embargo could be imposed, new
states admitted, or war declared.
-That a President could only serve 1 term.
-The abolition of the 3/5 clause.
-The prohibition of the election of 2 successive
Presidents from the same state.
Arrives after the Treaty is signed!!!!!!
Outcome of the War
 Nation gained a psychological




sense of complete independence
as people celebrated their "second
war of independence"
Federalist party collapsed
(Hartford Resolution)
Established need for a formal navy
Established peaceful relations with
Britain
Sets nation up for the Era of Good
Feelings
 Heightened nationalism!!!
 Star Spangled Banner