The War of 1812

Presentation by: Jonathan Gettinger and Ray Morgan

General Information: The War of 1812 was a battle fought in America/Canada between the newly established United States and Great Britain between the years of 1812 and 1814 over various disputes between the two.

Prelude to the War: The United States waged war on Great Britain because of:

-Lingering resentment between the two countries

-“War Hawks” in Congress who were hell bent on fighting Britain and running them out of America and Canada completely

-Impressment of American sailors by the British Navy

-The blockade of American trade with other parts of Europe to eliminate all resources to the French during the Napoleonic Wars

-The Chesapeake incident where the British ship Leopard opened fire on an American cargo ship after they refused to be boarded. 3 Americans killed, 18 wounded

-The over exaggerated arming of Indians on the frontiers by the British

Significant Occurrences: (See Timeline)

-Invasion Attempts of Canada

-Constitution vs. Guerriere

-Burning of The Capitol

-Battle of Fort McHenry (Verses to The Star Spangled Banner written)

-Treaty of Ghent

-Battle of New Orleans

Timeline:

Event	Date	Location	Significance
Napolean excludes British goods from "fortress Europe"	1806	Europe	American ships caught in middle as British respond with blockade. British seize 1000 U.S. ships, French ca. 500.
British impress American sailors	1803-1812	High seas	British captains took over 10,000 American citizens to man ships.
Chesapeake -Leopard fight	June 1807	3 miles off Norfolk, Virginia	Chesapeake fired on by Leopard after refusing to be boarded. 3 Americans killed, 18 wounded.
Embargo Act	December 1807	Washington, D.C.	Jefferson's attempt at "peaceful coercion" resulted in economic disaster for merchants.
War Hawks elected to Congress	1810	U.S.	Calhoun, Clay, others bothered by insults to U.S. and Indian presence
Battle of Tippecanoe	1811	Ohio River Valley	Tecumseh's brother (the Prophet) led attack on Harrison's army of 1000.
Congress declares "Mr. Madison's War"	June 18, 1812	Washington, D.C.	Pushed by War Hawks, Madison asked for declaration. All Federalists oppose it.
British capture Ft. Mackinac	August 16, 1812	Michigan	U.S. lost fort as British invade American territory.
Invasion attempts of Canada	1812	U.S.--Canadian border	3 attempts of U.S. to invade Canada all fail.
Constitution vs. Guerriere	1812	Atlantic Ocean	Victory by U.S. ship ("Old Ironsides"). Other privateers captured or burned British ships.
Battle of York (Toronto)	April 1813	Toronto, Canada	U.S. troops took control of Great Lakes, burn York. This action later returned by British burning of Washington, D.C.
Battle of Lake Erie	September 1813	Put-in-Bay	British naval attack repulsed by Capt. Perry.
Battle of Thames	October 1813	Ontario, Canada	Tecumseh killed in U.S. victory. NW Indians weakened by battle.
Battle of Horseshoe Bend	March 1814	Mississippi Territory	Andrew Jackson defeated Creek Indians.
British plan 3-part invasion of U.S.: Chesapeake Bay, Lake Champlain, & mouth of Mississippi River	1814	Washington, D.C.	British burned capital's buildings, but were turned back at Baltimore harbor.
Battle of Plattsburgh	September 1814	Lake Champlain	U.S. secured northern border with victory over larger British force.
Hartford Convention	December 15,1814	Hartford, Connecticut	Group of Federalists discussed secession, propose 7 amendments to protect influence of Northeast states.
Treaty of Ghent	December 24, 1814	Ghent, Belgium	British and American diplomats agreed on status quo ante bellum
Battle of New Orleans	January 1815	New Orleans	Jackson's forces defeated British. 700 British killed, 1400 wounded. U.S. losses: 8 killed, 13 wounded

http://www.bomis.com/rings/Mnineteenth_century-war_of_1812-society/14

Outcomes of the War:

-Moderate Casualties on both sides

-All land confiscated by each side is returned

-The US Capitol is burnt in response to the excessive burnings by the Americans at Newark/York

(Causes Americans to rally together, war turns in our favor)

-The blowout victory at The Battle of New Orleans leads to the war being considered a US victory

-America proves once and for all that they are independent and a force to be reckoned with (Considered the second war of independence)

-Establishes world wide freedom of trade on the high seas

-Beginning of the end of Britain’s reign as’ mistress of the seas’ as their navy warships are successfully challenged.

-Francis Scott Key, upon seeing the bombardment of Ft. McHenry wrote verses, part of which would later become The Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem.

References:

www.rootsweb.com/~kyharris/1812war.htm

www.historychannel.com - search for “War of 1812”

http://www.bcpl.net/~etowner/ssbintro.html

http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9809/pitch.html

http://www.multied.com/1812/Ghent.htmlhttp://www.multied.com/1812/Ghent.html

http://www.bcpl.net/~etowner/ssbintro.html

http://www.bomis.com/rings/Mnineteenth_century-war_of_1812-society/7http://members.tripod.com/~war1812/intro.html