The War of 1812p. 211-215

Early War

After Napoleon’s army is defeated in Russia, British turn their efforts back to America.

Early failures on battlefield for Americans:

Detroit, Chicago: defeated by Native Tribes

Naval failures: counterattacks by British

Any Success?

Early success near Great Lakes

Took control of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie

Led to another invasion of Canada through Detroit

W. H. Harrison: led US to victory in a battle in which Tecumseh died

Led to a weakening of the Native Americans in the NW Territories

Andrew Jackson

Battle of Horseshoe Bend: 1814 near FL border

Jackson and his men slaughtered men, women, and children of the Creek Tribe

Creeks ceded most of their land to the U.S. and moved west

Jackson became a major general in the U.S. Army

Battles With British

August, 1814: British entered D.C. and set fire to several public buildings

White House included

Retaliation for U.S. burning of Canadian captial

Low point for U.S. in war

British moved toward Baltimore, but Americans held them off

Francis Scott Key: what did he do?

Battle of New Orleans

Jackson vs British

January, 1815

Americans BIG win!

British: 700 dead, 1,400 wounded, 500 imprisoned

Americans: 8 dead, 13 wounded

The Problem:

THE PEACE TREATY HAD ALREADY BEEN SIGNED!

An unnecessary battle!

Andrew Jackson’s heroic status grows however…

New England Opposition

Federalists opposed war

Actually celebrated British success in some cases

Daniel Webster: led the Federalist opposition

Talk of secession again in 1814-1815

Hartford Convention

December 1814, New England states

Those who favored secession were the majority

7 amendments proposed to protect N.E. from the influence of the south and west

Hartford Convention seemed irrelevant and in some cases, treasonable

Death of the Federalists!

Treaty of Ghent

JQ Adams, Henry Clay, Albert Gallatin

Americans gave up demand for British renunciation of impressment

Gave up the cession of Canada to the U.S.

British gave up their desire to have an Indian buffer state in the Northwest

Signed in December, 1814 (BEFORE Battle of New Orleans!!)

Rush-Bagot Agreement

Americans had right to trade freely with British

Mutual agreement in 1817 that provided for disarmament on the Great Lakes

Indians

Treaty of Ghent required U.S. to restore the tribes the land seized by Americans

Never enforced

A major blow for Native Americans to retain territory

Tecumseh dead, British gone

Native Americans less able to defend their land than ever