The War of 1812

1. The War of 1812 The Second American War for Independence

2. The Barbary States and International Politics

3. The Barbary States and International Politics • Barbary Pirates attacked American Shipping lanes. • The Americans were unable to stop the Barbary pirates by force so they paid a tribute. • A tribute is payment in exchange for protection. • In 1801 President Jefferson did not want to pay the tribute so the Pasha of the Barbary States declared war on the United States.

4. To make a long story short…. • 4 years later and after many skirmishes the war ended when the United States paid a ransom of 60,000 for American prisoners. • At the end of the war the United States had successfully shown it can fight other countries successfully. • The war also showed the United States it should stay out of European Foreign affairs. • That would not be possible for the United States…

5. More International Problems • Great Britain and Napoleon’s France are at war in 1803 (surprise surprise). • The British began the policy of impressment of American sailors. • Impressment is the act of seizing, by force, of sailors to work on a foreign navies ships.

6. Jefferson's Solution • Instead of declaring war, Jefferson asked Congress to STOP ALL TRADE WITH OTHER NATIONS. • Jefferson described this policy as “peaceable coercion”. • Coercion is the practice of forcing someone to act in a certain way by the use of pressure or threats. • Jefferson wanted to not get involved with Great Britain and to prevent more fighting during his presidency.

7. Jefferson’s Solution • The Embargo Act was passed in 1807 • The Embargo Act of 1807 the law that forbade American ships from sailing to foreign ports and closed American ports to British Ships. • The United States was more hurt by this policy than other nations. • When James Madison was elected president in 1808 he decided that instead of not allowing trade with everyone, the United States would just not trade with Great Britain and France. • This did not work…

8. Native American Unity • The United States had taken a lot of territory away from the Native Americans since it became a nation. • The natives were defeated at Fallen Timbers in 1794 and in 1808 the Miami, the Delaware, and the Potawatomi tribes signed a treaty that would give the United States more land. • Tecumseh, a Shawnee chieftain who wanted to stop the United States from taking land away from the Native Americans, started to form a Native American Alliance against the United States. • While Tecumseh was recruiting tribes to his cause the Shawnee were defeated by William Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe. • Tecumseh then fled into Canada.

9. Hawks or Doves? • By 1812 many Americans wanted to go to war against Great Britain. • The reasons were:1. British Impressment2. American desire for more land3. Tecumseh and the British pseudo-alliance with the Native Americans. • The War Hawks were Republican members of Congress who wanted to go to war with Great Britain. (they were usually people from the west) • The Doves didn’t want to go to war because Great Britain was the United States biggest trading partner. (they were usually from the North)

10. The Two Phases of the War: The First Phase or the Noncommittal Phase • Early in the war (1812-1814) Great Britain was occupied fighting France. • The British relied on the blockade and the small forces of Canadian Militia and British Regulars. • The American Military was very weak because the Democratic-Republicans reduced the size of the military. (Jefferson) • The American Navy also only had 16 ships at the start of the war.

11. The American Military and the First Phase • The Americans moved to invade Canada which they thought would be done very easily. (why?) • Isaac Brock defeated the Americans in Canada and forced them to surrender Detroitto the British. • Brock later died at the battle of Queenstown Heights and is known as “The Hero of Upper Canada.”

12. The First Phase and the Navy • First naval engagement of any consequence. • The American ship the USS Constitution challenged the HMS Guerreieoff the coast of Nova Scotia. • The victory was overall unimportant but it boosted American confidence early on in the war.

13. The First Phase and The Battle of Lake Eire • Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry engaged a six ship British force on Lake Eire. • After two hours of fighting and after the American Flagship was destroyed the Americans won the Battle of Lake Eire. • Oliver Hazard Perry sailed from his destroyed flagship the USS Lawrence to command the USS Niagara. • After the victory Perry famously wrote to William Henry Harrison “We have met the enemy and they are ours”.

14. End of the First Phase and the Battle of the Thames • Also called the Battle of Moriaviantown the Battle of the Thames took place when the British retreated from Ft. Detroit after the Battle of Lake Erie. • British General Henry Proctor retreated into Canada with Tecumseh and his men. (a total of 1500 men) • William Henry Harrison pursued them with his forces of about 3500. • Proctor attempted to trap the Americans against the river with cannon fire but the British were very unprepared. • The Americans broke the British center and during the fighting Tecumseh was killed.

15. The Second Phase of the War • After the collation defeated Napoleon and exiled him the British sent 15,000 soldiers under Duke Wellington’s best officers to fight the United States. • A British Army under Sir George Prevost arrived from Bermuda and joined up with British forces already in the United States to march on Washington D.C. • The American Militia sent to stop the British from reaching Washington was defeated at the Battle of Bladensburg.

16. The Second Phase and the Burning of Washington D.C. • After Bladensburg the American Government abdicated Washington D.C. and went into Virginia. • Dolly Madison (James Madison’s wife) saved many valuables from the capitol and Captain Thomas Tingey burned naval supplies so the British could not salvage any from the city. • When the British arrived the commanding officers ate dinner in the President’s Mansion and then set it on fire after they were done. • This reduced American moral to an all-time low. • The British viewed the burning of Washington as retaliation for the burning of York and other American raids into Canada.

17. The Second Phase and the Battle of Baltimore • After taking D.C. the British marched to Baltimore and engaged American Militia outside the city. • The British defeated the Militia but their commander, General Ross, was killed by an American sharpshooter. • The British attempted to destroy Ft. McHenry, which guarded the Baltimore Harbor, but after 25 hours of bombardment the British gave up. • Francis Scott Key wrote his poem, The Star Spangled Banner, after viewing the bombardment from a nearby British ship.

18. The Treaty of Ghent • The peace treaty that ended the war was called the Treaty of Ghent. • The provisions of the treaty were: 1. The border between the United States and Canada would be restored to its prewar position. 2. All territory taken during the war must be returned to its original owner. 3. The United States gained fishing rights in upper Canada. • The treaty DID NOT ADRESS THE ISSUES OF 1. British impressment (but British impressment did end because it was unnecessary) 2. The creation of a Native American buffer state (for the British). • The final result is that no territory changed hands and no side was a clear winner.

19. Effects of the Treaty of Ghent Effects of the Treaty • British impressment of the Americans ended. • The Native American resistance to the United States was basically destroyed. • The Americans won enough victories to firmly establish that they were independent of Great Britain.

20. The War is over but the Fighting is not • After the peace treaty the Americans fought the battle of New Orleans. • The British made it one of their goals to take Louisiana with a force of over 8,000 soldiers. • Andrew Jackson commanded New Orleans and repulsed the British forced inflicting over 2500 casualties on them. • The British attempted a few more assaults in Louisiana but they were all unsuccessful and when they found out about the Treaty of Ghent they left Louisiana.

21. Results of the War • Canadians see the war as victory for Canada because they successfully stopped the Americans from taking their land. • Americans mainly remember the war for the “Star Spangled Banner” and the burning of Washington D.C. • Historians differ about which side won the war and even if there is a victor at all. • The losers of the war were definitely the Native Americans.