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James Madison was the fourth president. He became president in 1809. He was president during the War of 1812.
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In 1810 war hawks Henry Clay and John Calhoun became members of the House of Representitives. A war hawk is anyone who was eager for war with Britain. The number of war hawks was least in New England.
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In the spring of 1812 the British said they woud keep impressing American saliors. Impressment is the act of forcing someone into service. Britain also armed Native Americans to fight.
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In June of 1812 Congress declared war on Great Britain. The war did not come at a good point in time for the Brtitish beacuse they were still at war with France in Europe. Because the British were not willing to meet Americans demands to avoid war, Britain armed Native Americans to protect Canada.
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Americans were confident they would win when the war began but they soon relized they were not ready for war. Jeffersons cuts had reduced the size of the military. The navy now had only 16 warships. The army had less than 7,000 men.
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Britain blockaded American ports in the early days of the war. The British navy had 135 warships blocking American ports by 1814. Eventualy, Britain was able to blockade all American ports.
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American troops under General William Hull invaded Canada. Being unsure of himself he soon retreated back into Detriot. The British took advantage of his confusion, capturing over 2,000 soldiers.
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The USS Constitution was a large warship that defeated the British Gueriere in a major battle at sea. American soliders nicknames the ship "Old Ironsides". The ship was nicknamed this because, since British artillary fire bounced off the ships wodden hull, the ship seemed to be man of iron.
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The second battle of Sackets Harbor took place when British forces crossed Lake Ontario and attempted to capture the town of Sackets Harbor. The battle took place on land and in the lake. A total of 265 British men were killed, wounded, or taken prisioner and American casualties and losses equaled 307.
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The battle of Lake Erie was fought near Put-in-Bay, Ohio. The United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of Britain's Navy. There was a total of 68 losses.
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The battle of Thames took place near Chatham, Ontario in Upper Canada. The Native Americans helped the British fight America in this battle. Among the dead was Shawnee cheif Tecumseh.
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The battle of Horseshoe Bend took place near Dadeville, Alabama. In this battle Native Americans sided with the Americans. This battle ended the Creek War.
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The Battle of Fort Oswego was a British raid on an American Fort in upstate New York. The raid was only partially successful. British soldiers got 2,400 barrels of useful materials but did not capture Oswego.
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In August of 1814, Britain developed a new strategy. The new strategy was to attack Washington D.C., the nations capital. The British attacked on burned many government buildings including the White House.
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After the attack, the British moved to Baltimore.Their first target was Fort Mchenry, which defended the harbor. The Americans fought of the British leaving the American flag flying over the fort.
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The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key. It began as a poem he wrote after witnessing the attack on Baltimore, waking up in the morning, and seeing the flag waving high above the fort. The poem was set to music, and in 1931 Congress made the song the national anthem.
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The Battle of Plattsburg ended the envasion of the northern states. The forces includes 14 warships and 3,400 men on the American side, with 16 warships and 10,000 men. The battle ended shortly before the singing of the Treaty of Ghent.
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The Hartford Convention was a meeting held by a group of Federalists.Many delegates thought the New England staes should withdraw from the US. Luckily though, while this topic was being debated, news of the peace treaty arived and the convention ended.
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Peace talks began in Ghent, Belguim. On Christmas Eve of 1814, both sides signed the Treaty of Ghent. This treaty ended the war of 1812.
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The news of the treaty began signed did not immediatly reach America. During this time, the two sides fought one last battle. American forces defeated the British Army that was trying to seize New Orlens.
