The War of 1812
The Second War for Independence
Causes of the War
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British influence on Indians in the West
Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa “The Prophet”
Assaults on American merchant ships
War Hawks in Congress
Indians in the west
•  Two brothers, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa
preached a militant message against American
settlement.
•  Attempt to unify tribes to resist settlement
•  The British encouraged the tribes movement
Attacks on Merchant Ships
•  Britain and France were in the middle of
another war
•  American policy stated that they could trade
non militant goods with any warring nation
•  The British, in response to American trade with
France, attacked merchant trips
•  They also resumed impressment, the
imprisoning of American sailors
•  This caused even greater tensions between
America and Britain
War Hawks
•  War Hawks were a new generation of young
Congressmen that supported war against Great
Britain
•  They were extreme nationalists
•  Henry Clay of Kentucky, John C. Calhoun of
South Carolina, and Felix Grundy of Tennessee
were prominent War Hawks
•  These congressmen had a great influence on
the decision to declare war on Britain.
Battles during the War
Battle of Tippecanoe
•  Tecumseh began to preach a militant message
to the natives & went south to recruit new tribes
to his movement
•  Tenskwatawa “The Prophet” followers lived on
the Tippecanoe River in Indiana & practiced
traditional native customs
•  Governor William Henry Harrison gathered a
force and marched toward Prophetstown
•  Tenskwatawa’s men attacked first to defend
their settlement
•  ¼ of Harrisons’ troops were killed or wounded
•  Native confidence was shattered and many fled
to Canada including Tecumseh
Invasion of Canada
•  U.S military leaders plan to attack Canada
from three directions – from Detroit,
Niagara Falls, and up the Hudson Valley
toward Montreal
•  All three attempts fail
•  Great Britain gains control of Ft. Detroit
Battle of Lake Erie
•  Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry secretly builds a
naval fleet on the coast of Lake Erie in Ohio.
•  Sept. 10th 1813 – Perry’s fleet attack the British on
Lake Erie.
•  Perry has to abandon the U.S flagship
•  Grueling four hour battle ends with an American
victory & control of Lake Erie
•  U.S regained control of Ft. Detroit & the Great Lakes
•  Cuts the British supply line
“We have met the enemy and they are ours.”
~ Oliver Hazard Perry
British Invasion of D.C.
•  The British had finally suppressed the French
and were now able to begin attacks on America
•  In 1814 British troops invaded Washington D.C.
and set fire to the White House & Capital
•  The government officials were able to flee the
capital without harm.
•  Dolly Madison heroically saved many important
documents from being destroyed
•  The British push on toward Baltimore
The U.S.S
Constitution
•  The U.S.S Constitution was an American
warship
•  In August of 1812 the Constitution defeated
The British ship Guerriere
•  This was a stunning victory because Britain had
the most powerful navy in the world
•  This victory gave inspiration to the American
forces and hurt the pride of the British army
Fort McHenry
•  The British marched from D.C to attack the port
city of Baltimore
•  Soldiers at Fort McHenry overcame the British
25 hour bombardment and repelled the attack
•  Francis Scott Key composed the Star Spangled
Banner while observing the attack
Battle of Lake Champlain
•  15,000 British soldiers advanced south
from Montreal into New York
•  This allowed the British Navy to gain
access to Lake Champlain
•  They aimed to gain control of the lake
•  American naval forces defeated the British
fleet, and forced them to retreat to Canada
Battle of Thames River
•  After the victory on Lake Erie General
Harrison marched into Canada to engage
British and Native American Forces
•  Americans won a decisive victory and the
Shawnee leader Tecumseh was killed
•  This ended the Native American
alliance with Great Britain
and involvement in the war
The Battle of New Orleans
•  Led by General Andrew Jackson, the battle was
in defense of the port city New Orleans
•  January 1815, a British fleet with 7,500 men
land near New Orleans and prepare to attack
•  Gen. Jackson and his forces were warned and
prepared a defense using cotton bales to
absorb incoming fire
•  The Americans won a decisive victory
•  Andrew Jackson becomes a national hero
•  The battle was fought after the Treaty of Ghent
was signed, but news had not reached America
The Treaty of Ghent
•  Took place December 14, 1824 in the town of
Ghent, Netherlands (currently Belgium)
•  The treaty stated that there would be no
exchange of territory
•  The treaty also restored relations with Britain as
they were before the war
•  Even though attacks on ships and impressment
was a large factor of the war the treaty did not
set any provisions to it
Aftermath
•  The war confirmed the ability of a republican
government to conduct war without surrendering its
beliefs. This gave renewed trusted in the system of
government and an era of nationalism began
•  After the Battle of New Orleans Jackson was seen as
an American Hero
•  The conquest of the area east of the Mississippi River
was completed
•  It broke the power of the natives in the old northwest
which opened the land for farming and significantly
reduced Indian power in the South
The War of 1812