1. THE WAR OF 1812
Essential Questions:
• Who were the War Hawks?
• What events/actions caused the War of
1812?
• Who was Tecumseh?
• What were the events of the War of 1812?
2. The War Hawks Demand War
Jefferson‟s popularity soared
after the purchase of the
Louisiana territory
Won reelection in 1804
During his second term fighting
between Britain and France
raged
In 1806 Napoleon decided to
exclude British goods from
Europe
Great Britain then decided to
blockade Napoleons‟ Europe
Britain sealed up its ports and
prevented ships from entering
or leaving
3. The War Hawks Demand War
By 1807 Britain had
seized more than
1,000 American
ships
Their
ships cargos
were confiscated
France had seized
about 500 American
ships and done the
same to their cargo
4. Grievances Against Britain
Americans focused their anger on
Britain
British policy of impressment
Seizing Americans at sea and
„impressing‟, or drafting, them into
the British navy
Second, was the Chesapeake
Incident
June 1807 a British warship
commander demanded the right
to board and search the U.S.S
Chesapeake
Looking for British deserters
U.S. captain refused so the
British attacked
3 Americans were killed and 18
wounded
5. Jefferson Acts
Jefferson convinced Congress to
declare an embargo, or ban on
exporting products to other
countries
Felt the Embargo Act of 1807
would hurt Britain and other
European powers
Thought it would force them to
honor American neutrality
Instead the Embargo Act hurt
America more than Britain
1809 Congress lifted the ban on
foreign trade, except with France
and Britain
6. Tecumseh‟s Confederacy
William Henry Harrison was the
governor of Indian Territory
Persuaded several Native American
chiefs to sign away 3 million acres of
land to the U.S.
Other chiefs were not happy about
this
Two were Tecumseh and his
brother Prophet
Called for other tribes to cast of all
traces of the white “civilization”
such as Christianity
Tecumseh began negotiations with the
British for assistance in what seemed
like a war with the U.S.
He tried to gain the support of
others tribes
Found many had already accepted
payment, or didn‟t want to give up
their autonomy
7. The War Hawks
In 1811, Prophet led an attack
on Harrison and his troops
Harrison struck back on the
banks of the Tippecanoe
River
Shawnee capital,
Prophetstown was burned to
the ground
Harrison‟s victory became
known as the Battle of
Tippecanoe
It was discovered that the
Native American confederacy
was using arms from British-
Canada
Group of young Congressmen
known as War Hawks called
8. President Madison
In the election of 1808
James Madison was
elected to the presidency
By the spring of 1812
Madison had decided to go
to war with the British
Believed Britain was trying
to strangle American trade
and cripple the American
economy
Congress approved the
war declaration in early
June
9. The War
The War in Canada
American military was
unprepared for war
American forces lost Detroit soon
after war was declared
Native American tribes fought
with the British in hopes of
stopping American expansion
The War at Sea
Americans had only 16 ships
All they had were there three 44-
gun frigates
British were superior in naval
combat
1812 the British began a
blockade which extended the
entire east coast
American ships were stuck in port
10. British Burn the White House
Earlier the Americans had
captured the capital of Upper
Canada, in the Battle of York
They burned the Governors
Mansion and the legislative
building
In 1814 the British entered
Washington, D.C.
In retaliation for the Battle of
York the British burned the
capitol, the White House, and
other public buildings
Madison and other officials
fled the capital
11. The Battle of New Orleans
At the same time Washington,
D.C. burned General Andrew
Jackson, was winning numerous
battles
He defeated a Native American
tribe known as the Creeks at the
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
His victory against the Creeks
destroyed Native American power
in the South
His greatest victory of the war
came after the war was over
In January 1815, Jackson‟s
troops defeated a superior British
force at the Battle of New Orleans
Hundreds of British troops died
with few American loses
12. The Treaty of Ghent
Peace treaty was signed on Christmas
Eve 1814
Declared an armistice, or an end to
fighting
Jackson was unaware of this at the
time of the Battle of New Orleans
Americans were eager for peace and
welcomed the treaty
1815 a commercial treaty reopened
trade
In 1818, a British-American
commission set the northern and
western boundaries of the U.S.
At home resolving differences was not as
easy
The nation was becoming divided
