War of 1812b

04/26/2023 Justin_Hargrove_M

aria_Perez_Digital_Artifact

1

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was a two year

conflict between the U.S. and Great Britain.

Started June 18th, 1812 Ended February 18th, 1815

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2

War in Europe GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE

NAPOLEONIC WARS(1801-1829). THE U.S. STAYS NEUTRAL IN THE CONFLICT, YET AMERICAN SHIPS

ARE RAIDED BY FRENCH AND BRITISH FLEETS. THE BRITISH BEGIN TO FORCE AMERICAN SAILORS INTO THE

ROYAL NAVY TO HELP FIGHT AGAINST FRANCE WHICH CAUSES OUTRAGE IN THE STATES.

UP TO 10,000 AMERICAN SAILORS WERE IMPRESSED BY THE BRITISH.



3U.S. Response to Impressment of

Sailors Thomas Jefferson calms citizens by

informing them the U.S. Military was not ready for war and Congress passes the Embargo Act of 1807 banning all trade in foreign ports.

The Embargo Act of 1807 was a complete failure and hurt the U.S. economy more than it did France or Great Britain.

Jefferson refused to repeal the act and many traders began to smuggle goods out of the country.



4

Election of 1808 In 1808, Democratic-Republican James Madison is elected and repeals

the Embargo Act and passes the Intercourse Act which allowed trade with all countries except Great Britain and France.

French leader Napoleon Bonaparte announced his respect of the U.S. being neutral in the conflict so Madison allowed trade with France to resume.

Madison had been pressured into asking for a declaration of war by people who felt Britain was to blame for the increased violence from the Indians and wanted the British out of Canada.

On June 1st, 1812, James Madison went before congress for a declaration of war and on June 14th, 1812, war with Britain was officially declared.



5

War with Britain

and early defeats..

The reduction of the U.S. Military by Jefferson had left the country without a strong fighting force for the war.

Indians and the British signed a peace treaty which means American forces must worry about attacks from Native Americans.

Early invasions of British controlled Canada failed as American forces faced Sir Isaac Brock’s well armed and trained forces, but Americans do burn down the Parliament Building in the Canadian capital of York.

As American forces retreated from Canada after many defeats, the British took over Detroit without a shot fired.

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6

American Victories In 1813, the war started to turn in favor of the Americans, mostly because of

the war between France and Britain was draining British resources. A major naval victory for the American’s was the Battle of Put-In-Bay on Lake

Erie which placed the Northwest Territory in American control and many Indian tribes who resided in that area were attacked for teaming with the British.

American forces were also able to regain control of Detroit in the Battle of Thames weeks after defeating the British in the Battle of Put-In-Bay.



7

With Napoleon’s army finally being defeated in April of 1814, Great Britain could finally turn its attention to the U.S. and focus all there resources to this war.

The Royal Navy blockaded most of the U.S. coastline which severely effected the U.S. economy and allowed the British to attack at will.

In August of 1814, British troops invaded the shores of Chesapeake Bay and defeated the American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg.

British troops then marched on to the U.S. Capital of Washington D.C. which leads to the most infamous moment of the war.



8The Burning of Washington D.C.

On August 24th, 1814, British troops arrived in Washington D.C. and in an act of revenge for burning the Parliament Building down in Canada, British forces burned down the White House, the Capital Building, the shipyard and destroyed much of the city.

U.S. President James Madison, his wife, and members of Congress ensured that all important documents and art were out of the city before the British arrived.

On September 1st, President Madison returned to Washington since British troops had left and recruited citizens to help defend Washington D.C. from any more British attacks and Congress returned to assemble on September 19th.



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Ending of the British Chesapeake Bay Campaign

On September 13th, 1814, Fort McHenry in Maryland was attacked by the heavily armed British Navy trying to open a path to the Baltimore Harbor.

Fort McHenry survived being constantly being hit by the British navy’s long guns for over 25 hours and never called for a surrender.

This is the battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

After the stalemate at Fort McHenry, British Forces left Chesapeake Bay and regrouped to prepare for the invasion of New Orleans.



10

The Battle of New Orleans By the time the planning for the invasion of New Orleans started, The British

and American governments had a peace treaty on the table in Belgium and it was signed on December 24th, by both parties ending the war officially.

British commanders were not aware of the peace treaty so the invasion of New Orleans began on January 8th,1815.

American Forces led by General Andrew Jackson held the important city for over three days until British troops began to withdrawal to attack a different American city.

The British decided that they would have a better chance at winning if they attacked Mobile, Alabama, but news of the peace treaty had finally arrived so all plans for that invasion were canceled and Americans had a huge sense of pride from American forces holding on to New Orleans.



11

The Results of the War of 1812

The Treaty of Ghent ensured that all prisoners of war and any land captured would be returned to the original owner.

No real boundary changes happened after this war and hostilities between Great Britain and the U.S. had finally ended.

The Federalist Party began to disappear as they were seen as unpatriotic because they were against the war.

Infighting in U.S. politics had also ended and ushered in a new era of politics called ”The Era of Good Feelings.”



12Work Cited

Schultz, Kevin M. Hist. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. "Napoleonic Wars and the United States, 1803–1815 - 1801–1829 - Milestones -

Office of the Historian." Napoleonic Wars and the United States, 1803–1815 - 1801–1829 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. U.S. Department of State/ Office of the Historian, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

"War of 1812." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. Moran, Edward. “The Battle of New Orleans.” 1910. N.p "Impressment - Bing Images." Impressment - Bing Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 19

Nov. 2014. "War of 1812 Ships - Bing Images." War of 1812 Ships - Bing Images. N.p., n.d.

Web. 19 Nov. 2014. "Burning of Washington - Bing Images." Burning of Washington - Bing Images.

N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

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War of 1812b