U.S. History – The War of 1812
I.
Peaceable Coercion – Internationally
a. Jefferson’s numerous attempts to “work with” the French & British
b. results:
i. Embargo Act of 1807
1. prohibited American ships from leaving the U.S. for any foreign port anywhere
in the world
2. passed a “force act” to enforce such a law
3. results:
a. hit American economy, especially New England shipbuilders (lots of
Federalists)
b. law was highly evaded
4. eventually repealed by Jefferson’s administration before election of 1808 
James Madison
ii. Non-Intercourse Act of 1808/1809
1. reopened trade, but excluded France & Britain
2. replaced a year later by Macon’s Bill No. 2, which reopened commercial
relations with France & Britain – but gave president power to stop trade if either
party should act belligerently (violating neutral shipping)
c. Napoleon’s “Concession”
i. upon dealing with Macon’s Bill No. 2, France agreed to no longer interfere with
American shipping
ii. announced such “concessions” in hopes that Madison would place an embargo strictly on
the British
iii. early 1811, U.S. placed an embargo against British – British would ultimately concede …
too late
II. Domestically – No Peaceable Coercion
a. continued expansion westward
b. the “Indian problem”
i. Jefferson believed that Native Americans had a choice:
1. assimilate into white settlers’ society
2. move further west
3. either case, had to give up their claims to their tribal lands in the Northwest
ii. William Henry Harrison
1. in 1801, he was appointed governor of Indian Territory by Jefferson
2. set out to enforce the assimilation policy
a. played one tribe off of another
b. used threats, bribes, trickery, and whatever else he could
3. successful in extracting millions of acres of territory in:
a. eastern Michigan
b. southern Indiana
c. most of Illinois
d. part of Georgia
e. parts of Tennessee
f. parts of Mississippi
iii. two factors helped Natives to begin resisting
1. British began renewing Native alliances – British were fearful that the U.S.
might invade Canada … retaliation for Chesapeake incident & growing antiBritish sentiments
2. Native American leadership
a. The Prophet (Tenskwatawa)
i. charismatic religious leader
ii. freed himself from “evils of white culture” – alcoholism – and
began speaking to his people about the superior virtues of the
Native civilizations
iii. inspiring a “religious revival” among numerous tribes, he
worked to unite them – mobilizing them politically &
militarily
iv. Prophetstown (between Tippecanoe Creek & Wabash River)
became a sacred place for people of all tribes
b. Tecumseh (the “Shooting Star”) was the Prophet’s brother
i. more concerned with the secular matters at hand
ii. knew that only through unification could tribes hope to fend
off the white man
iii. goal = recover the whole Northwest Territory & make the
Ohio River the boundary between the U.S. and Indian country
iv. believed that Harrison and others had no “legal” authority to
claim the land – had made deals with individual tribes, but
land belonged to all tribes
iv. Battle of Tippecanoe (November 7, 1811)
1. with Tecumseh away (hoping to gain more tribes for the united effort), Harrison
planned an “attack”
2. brought 1,000 soldiers to Prophetstown, drove off Indians, and burned the town
3. Tecumseh returned to find the Indian confederacy in disarray
4. from Michigan to Miss., Indians began attacking white settlements beginning in
the spring of 1812  British began aiding the Indians…
III. Itching for War
a. desire for further expansion
i. Americans in the north wanted Canada
ii. Americans in the south wanted Spanish Florida & surrounding land (LA, MS)
b. southern annexation
i. Americans in West Florida seized Spanish fort at Baton Rouge in 1810
ii. Madison happily agreed to annex the captured territory – planned on getting rest of FL
too
c. War with Britain? YES!
i. Britain and Spain were allies – provide pretext for taking FL
ii. British impressments of sailors (obnoxious)
iii. Britain’s growing restriction on American commerce (cutting off American farmers from
world markets – jeopardizing Jeffersonian ideal of sturdy agrarian society)
iv. election of “war hawks” into Congress (1810)
1. Henry Clay (KY) – in favor of territorial expansion – eventually becomes
Speaker of the House
2. John C. Calhoun (SC) – in favor of territorial expansion – eventually appointed
to Committee of Foreign Affairs
3. others elected who were in support of maintaining Republican values
d. War of 1812
i. declaration of war on June 18, 1812
1. Madison had hoped to keep peace, but was persuaded by Congressional leaders
2. Britain didn’t want an open conflict with U.S. – preoccupied with Napoleon in
Europe
a. Britain ignored U.S. in beginning…
b. …until winter of 1812, with Napoleon’s devastating defeat in Russia –
could now turn attention to U.S.
ii. against the Natives
1. Natives proved successful early in the war
2. U.S. forces proved more successful on the Great Lakes
Battle of Thames (October 5, 1812) – William Henry Harrison defeated
Tecumseh
4. Battle of Horseshoe Bend (March 27, 1814) – Andrew Jackson ransacked
Natives in the south, eventually seizing Spanish fort at Pensacola in November,
1814
British retaliation
1. with Napoleon gone by 1814, focused on invasion in America
2. sailed into Chesapeake Bay and began setting fire to Washington, including
White House (Francis Scott Key’s observance – wrote poem, “Star-Spangled
Banner”)
Battle of New Orleans
1. January 8, 1815
2. Jackson’s crew (Tenn. men, KY men, blacks, Creoles, pirates, etc.) battled the
British – successfully
3. British lost 700 men, 1400 wounded, 500 prisoners
4. Jackson’s were 8 dead and 13 wounded
5. U.S. & Britain had actually signed peace agreement WEEKS before Battle of
New Orleans
Treaty of Ghent (December 24, 1814)
1. U.S. envoy = John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Albert Gallatin
2. ended war – “skimpy agreement”
3. no real gains on either side
4. later agreements would improve Anglo-American relations
Native Americans?
1. land lost during war was to be returned – never enforced
2. great leader, Tecumseh, was dead
3. British were gone from the Northwest
4. alliance among Natives was in disarray
5. white settlers were forging deeper into the West
3.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
IV. Continued National Division
a. New England Federalists were embarrassed by numerous American failures in the war
i. Federalists continued to mock administration – and even openly celebrate British
victories
ii. began reviving talks of secession again – wanting to break from slaveholders and
“backwoodsmen”
b. Hartford Convention (late 1814)
i. openly talked of secession
ii. negotiated on seven new amendments – protecting New Englanders
iii. eventually learned of Jackson’s victory & peace agreement met with Britain
iv. relevance of convention:
1. none now
2. treasonable?
3. death blow to Federalist party