The War of 1812 Outline

The War of 1812 Outline

Ojectives

1. How did the war progress at sea and in theGreat Lakes region?

2. How did actions by American Indians aid theBritish during the war?

3. What strategy did the British pursue in the East?

4. How did the war come to an end?

I. The War At Sea

A. Most battles of the War of 1812 tookplace on or near water - Atlantic Ocean,

Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay

B. Battle of British Guerriere and U.S.S.Constitution

1. Constitution nicknamed "Old Ironsides" because of her copper

sheathing - cannon balls bouncedoff her sides.

2. Victory for the U.S.

C. British advantages

1. hundreds of ships

2. able to blockade U.S. seaports & capturemany U.S. merchant ships

D. American advantages

1. Most of Britain's ships were fighting elsewhere in the world

2. Used privateers, which were cheaper thanbuilding battle ships

3. Well trained sailors

4. New, technologically superior warships

II. The Canadian Border

A. U.S. leaders planned an invasion ofCanada, hoping to take it from the British.

B. British & Indians, led by Tecumseh,defeated an American unit & captured

Ft.Detroit

C. By the end of 1812, Britain controlled theGreat Lakes Region.

D. April, 1813 - U.S. troops captured & burned the Canadian capital of York

(present day Toronto)

E. U.S. commander of the Navy was OliverHazzard Perry, who built a small fleet onLake Erie.

F. September, 1813 - Perry's fleet defeated theBritish in the Battle of Lake Erie.

G. Perry's famous quote: "We have met theenemy, and they are ours."

H. Perry's victory forced the British to withdraw from the Great Lakes region.

III. The Frontier War

A. Gen. William Henry Harrison was in chargeof the U.S. troops in the Northwest.

B. October 1813 - Battle of the Thames

1. Harrison attacked, & British forcesretreated.

2. Indians, led by Tecumseh, did not retreatuntil Tecumseh was killed.

3. His death weakened the Indian-Britishalliance.

4. U.S. victory broke British power in theNorthwest & secured the Canadian border.

C. In the South, Creek Indian forces attacked anddestroyed Ft.Mims in present day Alabama.

D. Andrew Jackson, a general in the TN militia, led is forces south to fight the Creek

E. 1814 - Battle of Horseshoe Bend

1. Jackson attacked the main Creek Indian baseon the TallapoosaRiver in present day AL

2. Convincing victory for Jackson

3. Indian leaders surrendered.

4. Ended Creek War & forced Indians to give upmillions of acres of their land.

IV. The British on the Offensive

A. After defeating the French in 1814, Britainsent more ships & troops to the U.S.

B. They strengthened their blockade of U.S. seaports.

C. They sailed up the Chesapeake Bay toattack the U.S. capital of Washington.

1. Dolley Madison, Pres. Madison's wife, took precautions in case the British captured Washington:

a. She packed up everything of value, including

Cabinet papers, silverware, china, etc.

b. Minutes before the British arrived, she

saved a portrait of George Washington

2. The British invaded the city of Washington and

forced the defenders to retreat.

3. They then burned the capital building, the White

House, and other government buildings.

D. The Battle of Ft.McHenry

1. The British sailed on up the Chesapeake to attack

Baltimore, which was guarded by Ft.McHenry.

2. The British shelled the fort for 25 hours, but the

Americans refused to surrender.

3. The British chose to retreat instead of continuing

to fight.

4. The battle was witnessed from a British battle ship

by American Francis Scott Key, who wrote the

Star Spangled Banner in response to what he

saw.

V. The Battle of New Orleans

A. After Gen. Jackson defeated the Creek Indiansin the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, he marchedhis troops south to New Orleans.

B. After the burning of Washington, the Britishlaunched an attack from the Carribean, hopingto capture New Orleans.

C. Jackson ordered his troops, a mixture ofsoldiers, militia, & pirates, to build a wall of dirt and logs and wait for the British attack.

VI. Ending the war

A. Hartford Convention

1. Before the Battle of New Orleans, some

Federalists gathered at Hartford, CT.

2. Opposed to the war, some wanted the

New England states to withdraw from

the United States.

3. More moderate members convinced them

to send a delegation to Congress to

discuss the matter before taking action.

4. Before this delegation reached Washington,

news came that the war had ended.

5. Critics of these Federalists accused them oftreason.

6. Their attempt to challenge the power of thenational government further weakened theparty.

B. The Treaty of Ghent

1. The U.S. and Britain had been negotiating peace in the city of Ghent in Belgium for months.

2. The peace treaty was finally signed on Dec. 24, 1814, weeks before the Battle of New Orleans.

3. Both countries agreed to end the war and toreturn any territory it had conquered.

4. It did not solve the problem of impressmentsor trade embargos.

5. This was an escape from disaster for the U.S.,but they were proud their young nation hadstood up to the British.