The War of 1812: Causes, Campaigns, and Consequences

1. The War of 1812

2. Causes of the War of 1812 Great Britain • In 1803, Britain and France went to war again. • Both countries seized U.S. ships sailing towards the ports of their enemy. France

3. • Britain continued its’ impressment of U.S. sailors. Between 1808 and 1811 over 6,000 Americans were impressed by the British.

4. British ships frequently stopped American ships, confiscated their cargo, and impressed (captured) crew members, claiming they were deserters from Britain’s Royal Navy.

5. I know what to do! If we don’t allow American ships to trade withanyone, then they won’t get attacked! Mr. President, the British and French keep seizing American merchant ships. Something must be done! True, but that’s not what I had in mind! President Thomas Jefferson American merchant

6. Embargo Act (1807) • The Embargo Act banned U.S. ships from trading with any country. • All imports and exports were banned! • This hurt the U.S. economy! Non-Intercourse Act (1809) • Trade with all nations was allowed except Britain or France.

7. War Hawks War Hawks – members of Congress, led by Henry Clay of Kentucky, that wanted to declare war on Great Britain 34 year old Henry Clay, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and War Hawk leader.

8. War Hawk’s Rationale for War • Nationalism – pride or devotion to one’s country • Many Americans felt that Great Britain still treated the United States like a British colony. • Revenge • War Hawks wanted to revenge on British for seizing American ships • Territorial Expansions • Henry Clay wanted an excuse to conquer Canada from Great Britain and Florida from Spain. • Native American Attacks • War Hawks felt that Great Britain was arming Native Americans on the frontier and encouraging them to attack Americans.

9. The Prophet and Tecumseh • Tenskwatawa, also known as “The Prophet”, believed that in order to survive, Native Americans had to give up white ways of life. • Tecumseh unified many tribes behind the message of the Prophet, who was his older brother. Tenskwatawa, also known as “The Prophet”

10. In 1808, the Prophet built a village for his followers in Tippecanoe, Indiana.

11. Battle of Tippecanoe 1811 • Shawnee Indian Tecumseh and his brother encouraged Native Americans tribes to again form a confederacy to stop the advance of white settlement • Indiana Territory governor William Henry Harrison led US troops into the Indian settlement of Prophetstown along the Tippecanoe River and defeated Natives led by Tecumseh’s brother. • The defeat of the Natives by the US forces pushed some Natives, especially Tecumseh, to make alliances with the British during the War of 1812 • Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of Thames during the War of 1812, and his death signaled the weakening of Native support for the British Battle of Tippecanoe made Harrison a war hero & helped him become president of the US in 1840

12. American Problems • The US was unprepared militarily: • Had a 12-ship navy vs. Britain’s800 ships. • Americans disliked a draft  preferred to enlist in the disorganized state militias. • Financially unprepared: • Flood of paper money. • Revenue from import tariffs declined. • Regional disagreements.

13. Overviewof theWarof1812

14. 3 U. S. Invasions of 1812

15. Campaigns of 1813

16. Battle of Fort McHenry,1814 Oh Say Can You SeeBy the Dawn’s Early Light… -- Francis Scott Key

17. Gave proof through the night,That our flag was still there..

18. Attack on Ft. Oswego, 1814 • Results? • British gained 2400 barrels of supplies • British captured schooners • Missed the opportunity to gain weapons as they were on the way to Oswego at the time of attack

19. Hartford ConventionDecember, 1814 – January, 1815 New England Considers Cecession!

20. Treaty of GhentDecember 24, 1814

21. Peace was established on quo ante bellum Things go back to the way they were before the war Treaty of GhentDecember 24, 1814

22. Occurred after the war officially ended January 1815, British landed with 7500 troops in New Orleans Andrew Jackson used cotton bales as defense and then easily picked off the British in an open field Made Andrew Jackson a national hero The Battle of New Orleans, 1815

23. Jackson’s Florida Campaigns