Causes of the War of 1812
Impressment of U.S. Citizens
British ships stopping and searching American Vessels
British naval blockade
British Orders in Council
British inciting Native Americans
Orders in Council
The Order in Council issued by Britain on January 7, 1807, proclaimed the following:
... it is hereby ordered, that no vessel shall be permitted to trade from one port to another, both which ports shall belong to, or be in the possession of France or her allies, or shall be so far under their control as that British vessels may not freely trade thereat; and the commanders of his majesty's ships of war and privateers shall be, and are hereby instructed to warn every neutral vessel coming from any such port, and destined to another such port, to discontinue her voyage, and not to proceed to any such port; and any vessel, after being so warned, or any vessel coming from any such port after a reasonable time shall have been afforded for receiving information of this his majesty's orders which shall be found proceeding to another such port, shall be captured and brought in, and together with her cargo, shall be condemned as lawful prize.
This was followed by a second edict in November of the same year:
… And whereas his majesty's order of the 7th of January last has not answered the desired purpose, either of compelling the enemy to recall those orders, or of inducing neutral nations to interpose, with effect, to obtain their revocation; but, on the contrary, the same have been recently enforced with increased rigour:
And whereas his majesty, under these circumstances, finds himself compelled to take further measures for asserting and vindicating his just rights, and for supporting that maritime power which the exertions and valour of his people have, under the blessing of Providence, enabled him to establish and maintain; and the maintenance of which is not more essential to the safety and prosperity of his majesty's dominions, that it is to the protection of such states as still retain their independence, and to the general intercourse and happiness of mankind:
His majesty is therefore pleased, by and with the advice of his privy council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, that all the ports and places of France and her allies, Or of any other country at war with his majesty, and all other ports or places in Europe, from which, Although not at war with his majesty, the British flag is excluded, and all ports or places in the colonies belonging to his majesty's enemies, shall, from henceforth be subject to the same restrictions in point of trade and navigation, with the exception hereinafter-mentioned, as if the same were actually blockaded by his majesty's naval forces, in the most strict and rigorous manner; - And it is hereby further ordered and declared, that all trade in articles which are of the produce or manufacture of the said countries or colonies, shall be deemed and considered to be unlawful; and that every vessel trading from or to the said countries or colonies, together with all goods and merchandize on board, and all articles of the produce or manufacture of the said countries or colonies, shall be captured, and condemned as prize to the captors.
One of the most important aspects of the Orders in Council was the statement that nations wishing to trade with closed ports must first pay transit duties.
Definition of Impressment:
1. [n] the act of forcing someone into government service.
Part 1: Historical Background
From the end of the American Revolution until the conclusion of the War of 1812, the U.S. Government was concerned with British impressment of seamen on American ships and with the repatriation of men thus impressed. (In some cases seamen were also impressed by French and Spanish naval officers). An act of May 28, 1796 (1 Stat. 477), authorized the President to appoint agents at foreign ports who were charged with the following duties:
... to inquire into the situation of such American citizens or others, sailing, conformably to the law of nations, under the protection of the American flag, [who are] impressed or detained by any foreign power, to endeavour, by all legal means, to obtain the release of such American citizens or others....
In order for the U.S. Government to obtain "full and speedy information" on impressments, the act also provided that, if the impressment occurred within a foreign port, masters of U.S. ships were to "make a protest" to the American consul. If the impressment occurred on the high seas, it was to be reported to the collector of customs at the first U.S. port at which the vessel arrived. These officials were required to periodically report to the Secretary of State "an account of such impressments or detentions, as shall appear, by the protests of the masters, to have taken place." Vessel masters were further required by the act to transmit a copy of the protest directly to the Secretary of State. The protest was required to state:
... the manner of such impressment or detention, by whom made, together with the name and place of residence of the person impressed or detained; distinguishing also, whether he was an American citizen; and if not, to what nation he belonged.
On March 2, 1799, another act (1 Stat. 731), required the Secretary to submit to Congress an annual statement containing an abstract of the reports received on impressments. The State Department continued to seek repatriation of seamen throughout and after the War of 1812.
Definition of a Blockade: Noun1.naval blockade - the interdiction of a nation's lines of communication at sea by the use of naval power
American Merchant Marine and Privateers in War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought over the Merchant Marine. The British were seizing American ships on the high seas, and forcing seamen to join the British navy or merchant navy. In addition, Britain seized vessels bound for Europe that did not first call at a British port. France retaliated, confiscating vessels if they had first stopped in Britain. Together they seized nearly 1,500 American vessels between 1803 and 1812.
Economic Losses
United States also suffered serious financial losses during these years of European warfare. The United States had to continue commercial relations with both France and Britain in order to remain prosperous, yet an American ship trading with either one of the two nations could be seized by the other. To hurt England’s economy, Napoleon had initiated the Continental System, a series of blockades in which the French confiscated vessels and cargoes in European ports if they had first stopped in Britain. The British government retaliated by issuing orders to blockade the coastlines of Napoleon’s empire and seize vessels bound for Europe that did not first call at a British port. Neither power had sufficient naval forces to close every major harbor, so the blockades were mainly used to capture ships belonging to neutrals like the United States that were rather weak militarily. Together, these warring nations seized nearly 1500 American vessels between 1803 and 1812. Because the British dominated the seas after they defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, they stopped more ships than the French.
President Thomas Jefferson initially attempted to win respect for American neutrality by an economic boycott, a policy that banned trade with Europe. At Jefferson’s urging the Congress of the United States passed the Embargo Act of 1807, prohibiting virtually all U.S. commerce with European nations. Additional measures in 1808 and 1809 also restricted overland trade with British and Spanish possessions in Canada and Florida. This legislation failed to stop the aggressive actions of either France or Britain, but it did seriously harm the American economy. Consequently, Congress replaced it in 1809 with the Non-Intercourse Act, which forbade trade only with France and Britain. This measure was also overturned in 1810 by Macon's Bill No. 2, which reopened American commerce with all nations.
These trade restrictions were unpopular in the United States. Despite the repeated loss of both ships and seamen, Americans differed widely in their views on how to stop British harassment. British and French aggression hurt New England more directly than any other section of the country, but its merchants did not want to go to war with the British. Britain was the region's most important trading partner, and the profits from one successful commercial venture far offset the financial hardships resulting from the seizure of a cargo-laden ship or members of its crew.
The Revolutionary War ended in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris. Under the Terms, Great Britain surrendered the Old Northwest to the United States. Virginia and other states ceded their claims to the Old Northwest to the federal government. In 1787 this was organized as the Northwest Territory. which included pretty much everything outside of the original 13 colonies that belonged to the United States. In 1800 Illinois was included in the Indiana Territory and in 1809 was organized as Illinois Territory which included all of Illinois, most of Wisconsin and large parts of Michigan and Minnesota. In 1809 what was to become the state of Illinois was divided into two counties, St. Clair on the north and Randolph on the south. The dividing line was a diagonal running east to west through what became Clark, Crawford, Jasper, Clay, Marion, Clinton, Washington, St. Clair and Monroe Counties. Ninian Edwards was appointed the Governor of the Illinois Territory. Ninian Edwards was the son of Benjamin Edwards. He was born 17 Mar 1775 at "Mount Pleasant", Montgomery Co., MD. He died 20 July 1833 at Belleville and was first buried there. He was reinterred at Oaklawn Cemetery in Springfield in 1855. His son married the sister of Mary Todd Lincoln. He served as Illinois Territorial Governor from 1809 to 1818 and as Governor of the State of Illinois 1826-1831. Kaskaskia was named as the Territorial Capital. The majority of the white settlement in Illinois at that time was in the southern regions.
The former Territorial Governments had begun obtaining the land of the Native Americans in a series of Treaties. These treaties exchanged land for yearly payments of money and presents. The Indians were not satisfied and took advantage of the War of 1812 to side with the British. The tribes involved were the Potawatomi, Kickappo, and The Sac and Fox.
Despite their opposing roles in the conflict, the British proved a temporary ally for Native Americans in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In the period after the French and Indian War the British had declared the northwestern region encompassing today's Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana to be off-limits to settlement by English settlers. The outcome of the American revolution shattered this promising arrangement for the Indian tribes, and sent American settlers pouring westward. First arriving along the southern Illinois River bottoms, Americans pushed northward onto the prairie after 1820, and established Chicago.
Despite Americans' claim to the Northwest Territories, the British remained a major presence there for several decades and collaborated with Indian forces led by the Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh to battle Americans in the unsuccessful War of 1812. The United States secured its Northwest Territories in the War of 1812, and shattered Tecumseh's dream of a powerful new Indian confederacy able to stem white settlement in the West.
Create a small skit to explain to the class your cause of the War of 1812. Your skit must do the following:
- Involve all members of your group
- Reenact something related to your cause from the time period
- Explain the cause of the war
- Be energetic and engaging
- Try to be funny
- End with a definition of the cause and a final two sentence summary explaining the cause.