CHAPTER 6 Section 4 – The War of 1812 October 15, 2013

Mr. Harrington Ch. 6 U.S. History Starter What was the reason for Lewis and Clark expedition? Who sent them? Mr. Harrington Ch. 6 U.S. History

Rising Tensions With Britain After fragile peace fell apart, Britain and France go back to war in 1803 Britain began to use impressment, kidnapping Americans off of merchant ships and forcing them to serve in the British Navy In June 1807, a British warship opened fire on the American warship The Chesapeake Jefferson tries an embargo but it does not work – repealed in 1809

The Road to War James Madison James Madison elected president in 1808 Like Jefferson, Madison tried economic pressure to get France and England to stop interfering with American ships The Non-Intercourse Act and Macon’s Bill #2 both failed to convince Britain or France to respect American shipping rights Finally in 1810, France agreed to stop restricting American trade James Madison

The Road to War Henry Clay War Hawks – group of young Republicans from the South and West who are pushing for war with Britain The northeast is against a war – hurts trade In June 1812, Madison asked Congress for a Declaration of War Congress voted to declare war; 79-49 in the House and 19-13 in the Senate Henry Clay

Causes of the War of 1812 Impressment of American sailors Western settlers blamed British for problems with Native Americans Southern farmers were losing money because of British trade restrictions Lack of communication between Britain and U.S. France tried to lead U.S. and Britain into war

Problems of the War of 1812 U.S. was not ready to fight War of 1812 – only 7,000 troops and 16 ships Americans deeply divided – New England called it “Mr. Madison’s War” U.S. financial problems – National Bank charter had expired

The War of 1812 U.S.S. Constitution U.S. decided to invade Canada in 1812 – huge mistake U.S. had some success on Lake Erie in 1813 In 1814, Britain’s war with France ended and the British shifted extra troops to America With U.S. focused on Canada, Britain invaded via the Chesapeake Bay and burnt Washington to the ground in Aug 1814 U.S.S. Constitution

The Star Spangled Banner After attacking Washington D.C., the British attacked Baltimore U.S. prepared to defend Baltimore After the British bombarded Fort McHenry all night long on Sep. 13th, Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner the next morning

The War of 1812 Support for the war declined, especially among New England Federalists At the Hartford Convention in December 1814, High Federalists urged New England to secede from the Union A month later the U.S. gets a decisive victory at the Battle of New Orleans – General Andrew Jackson becomes a war hero The Hartford Convention all but ended the Federalist Party

The War of 1812 Ends Britain and the U.S. signed the Treaty of Ghent on December 2, 1814 Treaty was actually signed before the Battle of New Orleans Treaty said nothing about impressment and no territory changed hands War of 1812 increased the nation’s prestige overseas, as well as unity and patriotism

Mr. Harrington Ch. 6 U.S. History War of 1812 Video Link http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/classroom/intermediate/1812-portfolio/ Mr. Harrington Ch. 6 U.S. History