Journal #29 Impressment – forcing people to serve

in the army or navy

Embargo – the banning of trade, usually against another country

THE COMING OF WAR AND THE WAR OF 181210.3 and 10.4

Danger on the High Seas The state of Algiers was one of several

North African lands known as the Barbary States

These countries practiced piracy and held foreign citizens for ransom – the pirates are called Barbary Pirates

Many countries, including the U.S. paid the Barbary States to protect their ships and citizens

The U.S. Navy is eventually sent to end the pirate raids

More Trouble on the High Seas When Great Britain and France go to war

in 1803

They both want to stop the U.S. from supplying the other side

Britain passes an act allowing their navy to search and seize ships going to France

France declares that nobody can ship goods to Britain

The British and French capture many American ships, the British look for sailors who left the British navy and make them return to their ships

1807 – the British Leonard stops and opens fire on the U.S. Chesapeake

A Trade War How should the U.S. respond to Britain’s violation of our neutrality?

War? Embargo?

Jefferson and the Republicans favored an embargo – in 1807 they pass the Embargo Act – which bans foreign trade

The Embargo Act was meant to punish Britain and France but it hurt American merchants instead – the Federalists gain power

Congress replaced the unpopular law with the Non-Intercourse Act in 1809 Banned trade with Britain and France Stated that the U.S. would start trading with the first side that stopped

violating U.S. neutrality – AKA taking our ships

Problems on the U.S. Frontier Disagreements between Britain and the U.S.

went further than the issue on the seas

In the early 1800s, thousands of American settlers were entering the Northwest Territory

Native Americans were upset – the U.S. had gained much of this land from the Treaty of Grenville

Many Indian leaders had not agreed to this treaty

Britain wanted to control the growth of the U.S. – they give military aid to American Indians on the frontier

Tecumseh Shawnee chief who was one of the most influential

and talented Indian leaders of the early 1800s

Skilled military leader and public speaker

“Where are the once powerful tribes of our people? They have vanished before the greed and oppression of the white man, as snow before a summer sun.” ~ Tecumseh

Tecumseh wanted to unite the tribes of the Northwest, South, and eastern Mississippi Valley with the help of his brother – the Prophet

Tecumseh created a village for his followers near the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers

War on the Frontier William Henry Harrison – governor of Indiana

Territory believed that Tecumseh was a serious threat the America

Harrison and Tecumseh met face to face in 1810 – they did not come to an agreement

Tecumseh travels south to the Creek nation

While Tecumseh is gone, Harrison attacks the village of Tecumseh’s followers

Harrison’s soldiers win the Battle of Tippecanoe and destroy Tecumseh’s village – Tecumseh and the Prophet lose support

Battle of Tippecanoe

The War Debate People in the U.S. were angry with Britain

War Hawks were members of Congress who favored war against Britain Henry Clay of Kentucky John C. Calhoun of South Carolina

War Hawks wanted to defend the countries honor and add land to the U.S.

New England Federalists were against the war – they wanted to renew friendly business ties with Britain

Others were worried that our military was too weak to fight the powerful British

A Declaration of War James Madison, a Republican

elected in 1808, faced many difficult decisions as president

In a speech to Congress in 1812, Madison complains about Britain’s conduct and asks Congress to decide what to do

Representatives of the southern and western states vote for war – many states in the northeast vote for peace

The War Hawks win and war is declared against Britain in 1812, weeks later Madison is re-elected

THE WAR OF 181210.4

The First Battle of the War In August 1812 the USS Constitution

met the British Guerriere off the coast of Canada

The Constitutions first cannon blast rocked the Guerriere like “the shock of an earthquake”

When the British returned fire a cannonball bounced off the side of the Constitution

The Constitution’s victory shocked many people The British had hundreds of ships – the

U.S. less than 20

U.S. Advantages on the Seas

1. The U.S. paid privately owned ships to attack British merchant ships

2. Most of the British navy was scattered around the globe

3. The newly built U.S. ships were well built and carried more cannons than British ships

Eventually the British bring more ships to America and blockade American seaports

The Canadian Border The U.S. wanted to invade

Canada with 3 separate armies

Before they get there the British and Indians led by Tecumseh capture Fort Detroit

The British take over the Great Lakes by the end of 1812

In 1813, the U.S. strikes back by burning the Canadian capital York – they want to take back Lake Erie also

The Battle of Lake Erie Captain Oliver Hazard Perry

builds a small fleet of ships and sails out to meet the British on Sept. 10, 1813

The Battle of Lake Erie lasted more than three hours, before the British surrendered

This victory gives the U.S. new hope

The Battle of the Thames October 1813, General Harrison’s U.S.

troops catch up to the British near the Thames River in Canada

The U.S. troops charge into the British and Indian force, the British retreat – the Indians do not

Eventually Tecumseh is killed – weakening the Indian British alliance around the Great Lakes

This battle broke the British power on the Northwest frontier and secured the U.S./Canada border

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend

In 1813 Creek Indians led by chief Red Eagle begin to attack the U.S., destroying Fort Mims in Alabama

Andrew Jackson, a general in the Tennessee militia led his soldiers south to fight the Creek

In 1814, Jackson attacks the main creek base in Alabama at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend

Jackson won a convincing victory, causing Red Eagle to surrender and the Creek to give up millions of acres of land

The British on the Offensive Even though the U.S. was winning in

the West and South, in the East the U.S. was in danger

The British had defeated the French in 1814 and sent more troops to the U.S.

They had the Atlantic blockaded and moved to attack Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. is Burned James Madison and his advisors are forced to flee

Dolly Madison stayed behind long enough to save a famous portrait of George Washington

The British set fire to the White House and other government buildings in Washington Payback for York in Canada

The Attack on Fort McHenry After burning Washington, the

British move on to Baltimore, Maryland which was guarded by Fort McHenry

The British fleet shelled the fort for 25 hours but the Americans refused to surrender – the British retreat

Francis Scott Key witnessed the attack on Fort McHenry and wrote the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner”

The Battle of New Orleans After the attack on Washington and Baltimore the British launch an

attack on New Orleans

They wanted to take control of the Mississippi River

Andrew Jackson was in control of U.S. forces around New Orleans

The Battle of New Orleans began on January 8, 1815 – 5,300 British attacked Jackson’s 4,500

The British began marching toward the U.S. troops under the cover of fog – suddenly the fog lifted

The British troops were killed with frightening speed – the British suffered 2,000 casualties while the U.S. suffered 70

The War of 1812

Ending the War Before the Battle of New Orleans, New England

Federalists gathered at Hartford, Connecticut in 1814

This is known as the Hartford Convention – the Federalists opposed the war, some wanted to withdraw from the U.S.

Before the Federalists reached Washington, news broke that the Treaty of Ghent had been signed in December 1814 – before the Battle of New Orleans