Lesson 1: A Time of Conflict
Chapter 7: Foreign Affairs in the Early Republic Lesson 1: A Time of Conflict Freedom of the Seas Sailing in foreign seas was dangerous.
Ships in the Mediterraneanhad to be aware of piratesfrom Tripoli and otherBarbary Coast states ofNorth Africa. These pirates raided shipsand demanded tribute, orprotection money, fromEuropean governments tolet ships pass. Jefferson refused to continue policy of paying tribute to North African pirates to preventseizure of American ships, making United States the only maritime nation to refuse to pay protection money to Barbary pirates. A Barbary pirate? In 1804, pirates seized a U.S. ship and had it towed to Tripoli Harbor, where they threw the captain and crew in jail. Stephen Decatur, a U.S.Navy captain, burned thecaptured ship to preventpirates from using it. Tripoli agreed to stopdemanding tribute, but theUnited States had to pay aransom to free the shipscrew. The Pasha of Tripoli declared war on the U.S. because he wanted a larger piece of the protection monies Jefferson dispatches the Marines 4 years of intermittent fighting insued Although the marines failed to defeat pirates, the pasha agreed to a treaty more favorable toUnited States We finally got peace from Tripoli for $60,000 to get our sailors back. American sailors being impressed by the British navy.
Foreign trade depended on sea travel. Between 1803 and 1805,U.S. trade prosperedbecause the UnitedStates had neutral rights -the right to sail the seasand not take sides - in thewar between Britain andFrance. In 1805, Britain andFrance began a newpolicy of seizing andsearching ships. American sailors being impressed by the British navy. The British needed soldiers in its Royal Navy because many were deserting.
British naval patrolsstopped American shipsand searched for anysoldiers they thoughtmight be Britishdeserters. The British would forcesailors on the Americanships to serve in theBritish navy in a practicecalled impressment. Britain impressed over 6,000 American sailors. The Chesapeake-Leopard Incident
In 1807, the British intercepted an American ship off the coast of Virginia and demanded to search it. When the captain ofthe U.S. ship refused,the British openedfire. June 21, 1807. Br. Captain fired on the USS Chesapeake. 3 dead, 18 wounded. Br. Foreign Office said it was a mistake. Jeffersons Response: Forbade Br. ships to dock in American ports. Ordered state governors to call up as much as 100,000 militiamen. The Embargo Act of 1807 Jefferson hoped embargo would put economic pressure on Britain and France Federalist hated this as New England suffered Southern farmers also suffered in Jeffersons last months as president, Congress repealed the Embargo Act and replaced it with the Non-Intercourse Act, which forbade trade only with Britain and France and authorized president to end the boycott against either power if it stopped violating rights of Americans In 1807, The United States passed the Embargo Act, which prohibited trade with foreign countries, but it was ineffective. The embargo damaged Americas economy. American merchants resented the embargo and frequentlyviolated it. President James Madison
The Election of 1808 Elected in 1808 Virginian lawyer and student of history Wrote a large part of the U.S. Constitution Stood barely 54 and 120 pounds but, an intellectual ahead of his time President James Madison In 1808, James Madison was elected president. Question Break #1 In 1803, which two European nations went to war against each other? What is impressment? The British violation of Americas neutralrights led America to pass a trade __________in 1807. War Fever In 1810, Napoleon Bonaparte promised to end Frances trade restrictions with the United States, and the United States resumed trade with the French. However, the Frenchcontinued to seize Americanships. Americans were unsure of whotheir enemy was - the Britishor the French. Napoleon Bonaparte Ohio became the our 17th state in 1803
Ohio Becomes a State Ohio became a state in 1803, and more farmers began settling in the Ohio Valley on land that had been guaranteed to the Native Americans. Ohio became the our 17th state in 1803 Problems with Native Americans
Tecumseh, a powerful Shawnee chief, build a confederacy among Native American nations in the Northwest to halt the white movement onto Native American lands. Native Americans were often aided by the British, as shown in this picture depicting a meeting between British General Brock and Tecumseh. The Prophet was Tecumsehs brother, Tenskwatawa.
He urged NativeAmericans to returnto the customs oftheir ancestors. He attracted a hugefollowing and set up avillage in northernIndiana calledProphetstown. The Prophet William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison, the governor of Indiana territory, was alarmed by the Shawnee brothers. He wrote a letter toTecumseh, telling him theUnited States had manymore warriors than didthe Native Americans. Tecumseh went in personto speak to the whitepeople. Harrison invited Native Indian chiefs to Ft. Wayne, IN to sign away 3 mil. acresof land to the US government. William Henry Harrison Harrison attacked Prophetstown in 1811, in the Battle of Tippecanoe.
Many NativeAmericans, includingTecumseh, fled toCanada. This flight to Canadaled Americans tobelieve the Britishwere supportingNative Americans. This battle made Harrison a national hero! [1840 election Tippecanoe & Tyler, too!] Battle of Tippecanoe The War Hawks A group of young Republicans known as the War Hawks pressured the president to declare war on Britain. They wanted revenge forBritish actions againstAmericans, and theywanted to expand thepower of the UnitedStates. Their nationalism, orloyalty to their country,appealed to manyAmericans. In this British cartoon, King George III of Great Britain is shown offering firearms to Native Americans in return for the scalps of U.S. soldiers.It is thought that the cartoon took its inspiration from the incidents surrounding the 1812 Fort Dearborn massacre.On August 15, 1812, the commander of the U.S. forces at Fort Dearborn, General Hull, ordered the evacuation of the fort, giving it over to British forces.The evacuation consisted of almost one hundred and fifty soldiers and their families, all of whom left for Fort Wayne, Indiana.During the retreat, a group of Native Americans ambushed the evacuees, killing almost half.Many of those who remained were taken prisoner and sold to the British, who then released them.The scene in this cartoon is slightly more ominous in tone.Although the scene is highly dramatized, one of the leading concerns during the War of 1812 was the alliance of many Native-American tribes with the British, who had encouraged wars against Americans on the frontier. In this British political cartoon, King George III is shown offering guns to Native Americans in return for the scalps of U.S. citizens. Henry Clay and John Calhoun led the War Hawks. By the spring of 1812, Madison had decided that war with Britain was inevitable.
He had not received word of Britains decision toend searches and seizures of American ships. Daring attack on Tripoli Harbor.
Embargo Act passed tohurt Britain. Governor of IndianaTerritory met withTecumseh. Eventually the Americansattacked Tecumsehspeople and defeatedthem. Question Break #2 Tecumseh wanted to create a strong confederacy of Native Americans with the backing of the __________ to resist white settlement. How did General William Henry Harrisonearn the nickname Tippecanoe? Both Westerners and Southernersencouraged war with Britain partly due totheir desire for __________.