The War of 1812

Invasion of Canada -The US started a 3 prong invasion of Canada. -Their targets were Detroit, Niagara, and Lake Champlain. -If the Americans had taken Montreal, then the British defenses would collapse much faster. -The American invasion forces were quickly pushed back after crossing into Canada. -In 1813, the Americans tried again to invade Canada, but were unsuccessful. -The Americans then decided to invade by sea. -By 1814 after several naval victories, the Americans were still far from invading Canada. -Around this time, Napoleon was defeated, and his empire collapsed. Great Lakes -The US Navy had overall functioned better than the army, and were better than the British Navy in a way. -The American Ships were more skillfully handled, much better gunners, and the crew were not impressed into the Navy. -Several American frigates had thicker sides, more firepower, and a greater number of sailors/crew. -On Lake Erie, the US Naval Officer Oliver Hazard Perry was able to build a fleet of ships. -Perry was able to capture a British fleet, which he pronounced We have met the enemy and they are ours -At the Battle of the Thames, General Harrisons army pushed back the British Regulars that were forced to retreat from Detroit and Fort Malden. British invasion of New York -In 1814, the British prepared to crush New York. -However, the British were forced to get their supplies from the Lake Champlain waterway. -A weaker American fleet, commanded by Thomas Macdonough, challenged the British fleet. -The battle was fought near Plattsburgh on September 11,1814. -The American flagship at one point was in trouble, but Macdonough was able to turn his ship around with cables and used his undamaged broadside to defeat the British. -The British Navy then retreated, and the upper parts of New York were saved. Washington D.C. -In August of 1814, around 4,000 British troops landed in the Chesapeake Bay area. -They advanced quickly towards Washington DC. -Their forces scattered the US Militia at Bladensburg. -Once the British arrived at DC, they burned the city, including the Capitol and the White House. -However, at Baltimore, the Americans held strongly at Fort McHenry Fort McHenry -The British Navy hammered down Fort McHenry, but was unable to take down the fort, or capture the city. -On one of the British ships, a detained American known as Francis Scott Keys stood by watching, -thus he was inspired by this event to write the words of The Star-Spangled Banner.

Battle of New Orleans -In 1814, the British attacked New Orleans, and the Mississippi Valley. -Gaunt and Andrew Jackson (who recently defeated Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend) was in command of the US troops. -Their forces were composed of regulars (US), pirates, Frenchmen, and militiamen from Louisiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Two of the Louisiana regiments were made up of free black volunteers. -The British underestimated their opponents, and on January 8, 1815, launched a frontal assault. -Hoping for little resistance, instead, they were defeated by entrenched and well defended US troops. -After this victory, Andrew Jackson was recognized as a national hero. However, two weeks ago, the treaty of Ghent, signed at Ghent, Belgium, already ended the war. -The Battle of New Orleans released an upsurge of nationalism. Treaty of Ghent -The Treaty of Ghent, signed in Ghent, Belgium, was signed two weeks before the Battle of New Orleans. -Set up by Czar Alexander I, a meeting was held at Ghent, Belgium in 1814. -5 American peacemakers were there, including John Quincy Adams. -The British, overconfident after their victories, sent envoys as well to demand a neutral Indian buffer state in the Great Lakes Region, their control of the area, and control of parts of Maine. -The Americans rejected the terms, and after British retreats in New York, Britain was more open to compromises. -The Treaty of Ghent was signed on Christmas Eve in 1814. -The Treaty was mainly to stop both sides from fighting against each other, however, the treaty did not mention the Indians, impressment, Orders in council, and confiscations. -The war was basically a draw according to the Treaty, and the Americans stated Not One Inch of Territory Ceded or Lost but technically, the war began with them invading Canada. New England Federalists -The New England Federalists were people who were against the War of 1812. -A small minority of the New England Federalists threatened to secede from the US. -A group of them, known as the Blue Light Federalists, would warn the British blockade if a US ship was trying to escape. -The New England Federalists held a convention at Hartford, Connecticut known as the Hartford Convention Hartford Convention -The Hartford Convention held by the Federalists, they more or less demanded the constitution to be fixed, and many other things that the Federalists wanted. -The Hartford Convention wanted to end two-thirds vote in congress, and the three-fifths clause. -They also wanted to limit the presidents term of service to only one term. -The convention sent 3 envoys to the British burnt Washington D.C., right around the time the US was victorious in New Orleans, and the Treaty of Ghent was signed. -In the end, the Hartford resolutions was basically the beginning of the end for the Federalist party. -From then on, they had no successful presidential elections, and their party soon crumbled.