War of 1812 I. Why? 1. British still in America a. Capturing trade ships -no respect for America b. British control Canada -infringe on American trade -try to control Great Lakes The United States declared War on Great Britain on June 12, The war was declared as a result of long simmering disputes with Great Britian. The central dispute surrounded the impressment of American soldiers by the British. The British had previously attacked the USS Chesapeake and nearly caused a war two year earlier. In addition, disputes continued with Great Britain over the Northwest Territories and the border with Canada. Finally, the attempts of Great Britain to impose a blockade on France during the Napoleonic Wars was a constant source of conflict with the United States.

II. America’s advantages / Disadvantages 1. Advantages a. Strong economy b. Bigger population c. Nationalism -beat Britain before Objective - Drive them out of N. America 2. Disadvantages a. Weak Navy b. Offensive War -Canadians defending “Homeland”

III. Push Toward Canada 1. Failure a. Detroit b. Surrender at Fort Dearborn -Chicago -to Tecumseh -N.W. Territory open to British library.thinkquest.org/22916/ex1812.html

IV. Naval Victory Capt. Oliver Perry a. Detroit -Lake Erie b. Gen. William Henry Harrison -Defeated Tecumseh -Tippecanoe Creek -End Indian resistance After constructing a squadron of ships, Commodore Perry defeated a British squadron at the Battle of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813 near Put-in- Bay. Perry’s victory secured American control of Lake Erie for the remainder of the war and allowed Major General William Henry Harrison’s Army to reclaim American posts on the Ohio and Michigan frontier, opening those territories to American settlement after the war. Flying a flag with the words of the mortally-wounded Captain James Lawrence "Don't Give up the Ship!", he totally defeated the British squadron and reported to General Harrison, "We have met the enemy and they are ours..." home1.gte.net/vzn05sxc/history.htm

V Worst Year of the War 1. British strengthened blockade 2. U.S. out of $ 3. British Captured and Burned DC 4. Decline in American Nationalism January 1, 1814 The British Burn Washington, D. C. The British hoped that the burning of the American capital would have a psychological impact on the will of the Americans to continue the conflict. As the British army of approximately 4,000 approached, the majority of Washington residents fled the city. On August 24th American defenders, with President James Madison in attendance, were quickly routed by the invaders in a battle at Bladensburg a few miles from the city. A messenger was dispatched to the White House to warn First Lady Dolly Madison of the impeding arrival of the British. She and her staff fled by carriage across the Potomac - taking with her the full-length portrait of George Washington that had been torn from a White House wall. That evening, the vanguard of the British army reached Capitol Hill and began its systematic destruction of all public buildings in the city.

VI. Battle of New Orleans 1. Andrew Jackson a. Unlikely success b. Wall of dirt & soldiers c. Defend New Orleans -2,000 British casualties -8 American casualties d. Boost American Nationalism e. British Surrender -Treaty of Ghent – 12/24/1814 -America = world power It was the most lop-sided victory in the history of warfare because a small ragtag militia had defeated the most professional army in the world. During the 19th century, January 8, was a BIG holiday and celebration in the U.S. Almost like the 4th of July in January. British losses killed, 1400 wounded, 500 prisoners. U.S. losses killed, 13 wounded. Winston Churchill said this of the Battle of New Orleans: "Never in the field of human conflict were so many killed with so few casualties on the opposing side." By this miraculous divine intervention, the young U.S. Republic was saved from the threat of foreign invasion until the Civil War.

Questions: 1)List the main events of the War of )What were the results of the War of 1812?