The War of 1812Ben Windle

Context/Background British maintained low opinion of fledgling US

US still had a 82 million war debt owed to Britain

Travel was arduous and expensive 1) Stagecoaches traveled at an average of 4 miles per hour 2) Travel from Bal to NY cost $21, a month's average wages

1/3 of Britain's exports were shipped to US, namely textiles

Urban Population in 1800London 1 million

Philadelphia 70,000

New York 60,000

Boston 25,000

Charlestown 18,000

Baltimore 13,000

U.S. Population, 1800

75%

25%

Rural Areas

Urban Areas

Perilous Fight

"The upraised columns of the Capitol were a symbol NOT of national affirmation but of

a people given to grandiose and loudly proclaimed plans incapable of fulfillment."

- Stephen Budiansky Perilous Fight (p34)

U.S. Maritime TradeBy 1805 $100 million a year, quadruple the

previous decade

Customs Duties were governments only reliable source of income

Trade becomes major employer- 1807 50,000 men employed on merchant ships

Shipped Britain two vital commodities Wheat Cotton

Immediate Cause of WarMaritime Issues

"Free Trade and Sailors' rights"

Seizure of Ships Impressment of Sailors

Potential $10 million loss with each seized ship

British officials seeking British-Born sailors often impressed Americans

Privateers demanded $500-$1000 ransom for passage

6,257 American sailors requested release from British Royal Navy

1803-1812

Insurances rates tripled for cargo British need for sailors/soldiers

The Courier

"The sea is ours, and we must maintain the doctrine that no nation, no fleet shall sail upon it without our permission."

- The Courier, London Newspaper

Britain wanted to maintain their hegemony of the seas

U.S. Threat to Britain

It was hard to tell what the British resented more, the money Americans

were making or the aid they were giving their enemies...

- Stephen Budiansky Perilous Fight (p38)

Other Minor Causes

British influence of Native Americans

American need to win respect abroad

Desire to conquer British Canada for additional farmland

Encouragement/supply of attack of western

settlers

Disrespected by both British and French since Washington

Constant desire to expand

Westerners Dem- Republicans (War-Hawks) Westerners

Chesapeake/Leopard 1807, Leopard fires on Chesapeake because the ship refused to allow British officials aboard to retrieve

British deserters

Incident created "War Hawk" fervor for war. Jefferson sponsors Embargo

Act (Revolutionary strategy)

3 of 4 impressed sailors were African- American

Restrictive SystemEmbargo Act, 1807 Shut down trade with

everyone Ruinous to New England

economy

Non-Intercourse Act, 1809Opened up trade with

everyone but Britain and France

Economy still needed trade of either Britain or France

Macon's Bill No. 2

Reopened trade with Britain and France but promised if either respected our rights at sea, we'd ban trade with

the other

French accepted our offer but later continued harassment of ships

British angered by new embargo

US exports in 1807 $108 Million

US exports in 1808 $22 Million

"War Hawks"

Henry Clay John C. Calhoun

"War Hawks" from South and West encourage war with Britain

Eager to build their reputation via war

"Mr. Madison's War"

• Madison sends War Message to Congress

• Frustrated New Englanders referred to the war as "Mr. Madison's War"

James Madison

Recall that the presidencies of Washington, Adams and Jefferson had been dealing with the violation of our rights at sea

Divided CountryDemocratic-Republicans

(War-Hawks)

Federalists

South and West North

"War will uphold America's rights at sea and secure the West

against Indian raids."

"A war against the world's strongest naval power will disrupt

profitable trade."

Senate Vote 19-13

House Vote 79-49

British cruisers have been in the continued practice of violating the American flag on the great highway of nations, and of seizing and

carrying off persons sailing under it...our commerce has been plundered in every sea, the great staples of our country have been cut off from their legitimate markets, and a destructive blow aimed at our

agricultural and maritime interests....

- President Madison's war message, 1812

Military PreparednessBRITISH

UNITED STATES

0 250 500 750 1000

Only 18

Over 1000

Amount of ships in Navy

Quality of ShipUS had higher quality ships

built of Live Oak wood, which is native to the

southern US

24 inches thick walls

33-0 in battle including victory against British

frigate Guerriere

USS Constitution "Old Ironsides"

Early 19th Century Live Oak

The FightingUS attacks British Canada without much success

The British attack Washington DC and burn public buildings including the President's House

US defense of Fort McHenry produces "Star Spangled Banner"

Victory at Battle of New Orleans

Tecumseh and his brother the Prophet organize Indians to fight with the British

Anecdote from Battle of Lake Erie

"We had pease boiling for dinner -- our place for cooking was on deck, and during the action a shot had penetrated the boiler, and the peas were rolling all over the deck, - we had several pigs loose on deck, and I actually saw one of them eating peas that had both his hind legs shot off..."

"The Gun Deck- Aft"

Defense of Fort McHenry

Inspired by the successful defense of Fort McHenry- Francis Scott Key

writes poem that is adopted as our National Anthem in 1931

"Bombs bursting in air"

Indian participation in War of 1812

Tecumseh

Tecumseh and his brother The Prophet organize Indians to resist US movement

into Indiana and Illinois

Battle of Tippacanoe William Henry Harrison

Abandoned by French in 1763 and British in 1815

Indians are the war's biggest losers as they cannot halt US expansion into their land

Tecumseh,1810"You are continually driving the red people, when at

last you will drive them onto the great lake, where they can neither stand nor work...If you will not give up the

land and do cross the boundary of our present settlement, it will be very hard, and produce great

trouble between us...Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Did not the

Great Spirit make them for all the use of his children?How can we have confidence in the white people?"

Brutality of War

"Indians beheaded one officer, carved out his heart and ate it raw" (Hickey, p25)

"Many were tomahawked and many were burned alive..." (Hickey, p25)

Lt Boyd tied to a tree by his intestines and forced to run around it till dead, 1779

Treaty of Ghent, 1814

Signed on Christmas Eve, 1814

War ended in a stalemate

Britain- exhausted from multiple wars

United States- content to end divisive war

Battle of New Orleans, January 8th, 1815

Andrew Jackson

Battle boosts American Morale/Patriotism

General Jackson leads American troops to unlikely but decisive victory

Victory is politically insignificant as it occurs after Peace Treaty

To America, Ambrose

Note placed in New Orleans newspaper

Hartford ConventionSuggested amendments by New England Federalist

One term limit for office of president

Presidents should not hail from same state is successive elections

Two-thirds vote for embargo or declaration of war

End of Three-Fifths Compromise

News of the Hartford Convention comes out at the the same time as the victory at the Battle of New Orleans = Death of the Federalist Party

The War's LegacyByproducts of The War of 1812

Gained respect around the world

Increase in Patriotism- Francis Scott Key, Star- Spangled Banner

Rise of war heroes- Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison

Death of Federalist Party

Birth of 1st Industrial Revolution- war forced self-sufficiency

Jefferson on freeing slaves

"Freedom would only render them [black slaves] more miserable..."