Who Fought Against the United States in the War of 1812?

War of 1812 Webquest

I. Focus Question:

·  Who fought against the United States in the War of 1812?

·  What were the reasons behind the War of 1812?

·  Define a War Hawk?

II. British Impressment of US Soliders:

Answer the following questions (using the image above):

·  Based on the image above, what was the general attitude of Americans toward the impressments of sailors?

·  Write a definition of impressment, based on what you see in the picture?

Part III.The Unfinished Revolution

·  What did the American leaders in 1812 believe when they declared war on Great Britain?

·  What did Americans along the western frontier believe the British were doing?

·  What is impressment?

·  What were three outcomes of the War of 1812

Part IV. Star Spangled Banner Story

***Look at the right side of the webpage under “Hosted Reference Links”

Click on “War of 1812 – A Scene on the Frontiers”

·  What do you see happening in the image? Who is the man on the left? Who are the men with feathers on their heads? Who is the man on the ground?

***Close out of the image, then go back to “Hosted Reference Links” and click on “War of 1812 – Attack on Washington D.C.”

·  What does this image say happened to Washington D.C. during the War of 1812?

Part V: The Battle of Tippecanoe

During the War of 1812, Native Americans had to decide if they would support the Americans or the British. American settlers were constantly moving their homes onto Native land, so the Native Americans generally supported the British, since they lived across the ocean and would not be a direct threat to Native land.

·  What did Tecumseh believe?

Part VI:The Battle of New Orleans

The Battle of New Orleans was fought after the Treaty of Ghent (the peace treaty with Great Britain that ended the War of 1812) was already signed. (Communication was much slower in the 1800s…the first telephone was not invented until 1876!) The man standing at the top of the hill is Andrew Jackson (a future president of the United States).

·  Based on this image, did Americans like Andrew Jackson? How can you tell?

Part VII: Treaty of Ghent

What are the terms and dates of the treaty? Was anything gained as a result of the war that is reflected here? What was the purpose of the Treaty of Ghent?

Part VIII: American Nationalism

***Go To: http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-war-of-1812.aspx

Collect all the stars.

·  Write paragraph explaining how this event contributed to American nationalism using what you learned on this site.

Part II:

1.  Which President asked Congress to declare war on Great Britain? http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jm4.html

2.  Go to the following website and scroll down past “Maryland Invaded by Land” to answer the following questions. http://history1800s.about.com/od/americanwars/tp/1814washingtonburns.htm

a. What major US city was attacked and burned during the War of 1812?

b. Who is Dolley Madison and why is she important to this event?

3. During the War of 1812, an important and well-known American song was written during the Battle of Fort McHenry. Here are three questions about this significant song.

http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/starflag.htm

a.  What song was written during the War of 1812?

b.  Who was the composer of this song?

c.  How many states were parts of the US at the time of the War?

4.  An American ship that was important during the War of 1812 was the USS Constitution. Its nickname was “Old Ironsides.” Go to the following website and answer these two questions. http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/oldironsides.htm

a.  How did this ship get the nickname, “Old Ironsides?”

b.  What building materials were used to construct the ship?

5.  In the next unit, we will be talking about an individual who became a war hero at the Battle of New Orleans, which took place after the war was officially over (no email or cell phones back then). Go to the following website, scroll down to “Battle of New Orleans” and answer the two questions. http://www.pbs.org/kcet/andrewjackson/glossary/

a.  Who was the individual and what happened at this battle?

b.  Why was he considered a hero? Describe his victory in New Orleans?

Closure Activity:

1. Explain the overall significance of the War of 1812? In other words, what did the United States gain or lose? Go to the following website for help. http://americanhistoryrules.com/?page_id=1439

2. After reading about the War of 1812, explain how the war impacted Americans and their spirits? (One paragraph)