The War of 1812

The War of 1812

• When James Madison became the 4th President in 1808, he had a serious problem.

• Great Britain and France were at war.

• Each country told the United States not to trade with the other.

• The United States was stuck in the middle.

The Problem

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Who was the 4th President of the United States?

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Thomas Jefferson

John Adams

George Washington

James Madison

Multiple Choice

What was James Madison's big problem in 1804?

• War between France and Great Britain

• Internal political unrest
• Successful negotiations with Spain
• Escalating tensions with Mexico

• The French seized U.S. ships to keep them from trading with Great Britain.

• The British captures U.S. ships to keep them from trading with the French.

• The British also boarded U.S. ships and took sailors and made them work on British Ships.

• A group of congressmen became very angry about the situation and demanded that President Madison declare war on Great Britain.

• They became known as the "War Hawks."

The Problem

Multiple Choice

What kept happening to U.S. ships in 1812?

• British attacks and captures
• Spanish invasions
• Pirate attacks
• No alliances and support

Dropdown

What group wanted the president to declare war in 1812?

Select answer

• But in New England many people did not want to go to war with Great Britain.

• Much of the U.S. shipping trade was based in New England.

• They feared that a war with Great Britain would destroy the U.S. shipping trade.

• However, in 1812, Congress, led by the War Hawks declared war on Great Britain.

A Declaration of War

Multiple Choice

Why were most people in New England afraid to declare war on Great Britain?

• Fear of destroying their shipping trade

• Lack of military resources
• Fear of losing their own power
• Desire for peace at all costs

Multiple Choice

True or False:

Afraid of Great Britain's Navy the U.S. decided not to declare war.

• True

• False

• Great Britain had the most powerful navy in the world.

• But the small U.S. Navy was able to win several sea battles.

• The British navy placed some warships all along the East Coast of the United States.

• This is called a naval blockade.

• This meant that U.S. ships could not take goods across the Atlantic Ocean for trade.

• And that goods on ships from other countries could not get into U.S. harbors.

Fighting Britain's Navy

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What did Great Britain do to block the U.S. harbors from any ships coming and going?

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Air blockade

Land blockade

Mountain blockade

Naval blockade

• On land, the British beat the U.S. troops in Washington, D.C.

• In 1814, they attacked and burned the White House.

• Dolly Madison, the wife of the President, acted bravely.

• She escaped from the White House with important papers.

• She also saved a painting of George Washington.

The Attack on the White House

Dropdown

What important building in Washington, D.C. did the British attack and burn?

Select answer

Multiple Choice

What 2 important things did Dolly Madison save from the White House?

• Painting of George Washington and important papers

• Presidential desk and curtains
• Library books and furniture
• China set and silverware

• After leaving Washington, D.C. the British navy sailed for Baltimore, Maryland.

• There, Fort McHenry guarded the harbor.

• The British fired on the fort all day.

• The firing continued during the night of September 3, 1814.

• A young man named Francis Scott Key, watched the battle that night.

• At dawn he saw the U.S. flag still flying over the fort.

• The U.S. still controlled the fort!

Fort McHenry

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Which fort guarded the harbor in Baltimore, Maryland and stood strong against the British?

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Fort Knox

Fort McHenry

Fort Sumter

Fort Independence

• When Francis Scott Key saw that flag still flying in the early morning light he was inspired to write a poem.

• That poem is called The Star-Spangled Banner.

• It has become the national anthem, or song, of the United States

The Star-Spangled Banner

Multiple Choice

What was Francis Scott Key inspired to do when he saw the U.S. Flag still standing at Ft. McHenry?

• Compose a symphony about the battle
• Write the poem 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'

• Design a new flag for the United States
• Create a painting of the scene

Multiple Choice

What did the poem 'The Star-Spangled Banner' become?

• The official bird of the United States

• The national anthem of the United States

• The national flower of the United States

• The currency of the United States

• The British and the United States signed a peace treaty in Ghent, Belgium, on December 24, 1814.

• The treaty ended the war.

• Except before news about the peace treaty reached the United States one more battle took place.

• The Battle of New Orleans.

The Treaty of Ghent

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Was was the peace treaty for the War of 1812 called?

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• The War of 1812 was an unusual war.

• The treaty called for everything to go back to the same way it had been before the war!

• The U.S. gained no new territory, and neither did the British.

• But one result of the war was that the United States became more sure of itself as a nation.

• It had been able to hold its own in war against the powerful nation of Great Britain.

A Strange Conclusion

Multiple Choice

What was one result of the War of 1812?

• The United States became more sure of itself as a nation.

• The United States gained control of Canada.
• The British captured Washington, D.C.
• The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.