Investigation Fort McHenry: Declaration of War
Standards
Grade 8
Standard 5.0 History
Students will examine significant ideas, beliefs, and themes; organize patterns and events; and analyze
how individuals and societies have changed over time in Maryland and the United States.
Topic C: Conflict between Ideas and Institutions
Indicator 2: Analyze the emerging foreign policy of the United States.
Objective a: Explain why the United States adopted a policy of neutrality prior to the War of
1812.
Objective b: Explain how the continuing conflict between Great Britain and France influenced
the domestic and foreign policy of the United States.
Common Core Standards
Literacy in Social Studies: Writing
Grades 6-8
WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
WHST.6-8.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question),
drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple
avenues of exploration.
Lesson Seed
Historical Investigation:
Have students explore Niles Weekly Register: Volume 2 noting the change over time in the United States
policy toward Great Britain.
Of particular interest: p. 273, 275, 283
Using the Historical Investigation template below, ask students to generate a question for their historical
investigation. (example: What’s up, USA?)
Investigation Fort McHenry: Declaration of War
©2012 Maryland Public Television. All rights reserved.
Page 1
Suggested Follow-Up Activities:
Create a Thinkport timeline of events leading up to the declaration of war against Great Britain.
(WHST.6-8.2)
http://warof1812.thinkport.org/#educator-tools.html
Write a position of continued neutrality or a justification for war in the role as a member of Congress in
1812. (WHST.6-8.1)
http://mdk12.org/instruction/sampitems/social_studies/grade8/5C2b.html
Write a newspaper article for an issue of The Weekly Register to explain the historical events leading up
to the declaration of war against Great Britain. (WHST.6-8.2)
Resources
Americans and the British Face Off in the War of 1812
http://www.history.com/topics/war-of-1812/videos#americans-and-british-face-off-in-war-of-1812
This History.com short video provides an overview of the causes and outcome of the War of 1812 and
presents the war as a stalemate.
War of 1812 Film by PBS — Supplemental Videos
http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/the-film/watch-film-and-bonus-features/
"The British Blockade" (4:56) explores the British blockade of the U.S. Navy, maritime trade during the
war, and its impacts on the U.S.
President Madison's Second Inaugural Address
http://www.thewarof1812.com/Warof1812documents/JamesMadison2ndInaugural.htm
In his second inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1813, President James Madison reviews the
reasons for the United States' declaration of war against Great Britain, which led to the War of 1812.
President Madison's argument for a declaration of war against Great Britain
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llac&fileName=024/llac024.db&recNum=221
This selection from the Annals of Congress includes a confidential message from President James
Madison to Congress in which he describes Great Britain's offenses against the United States and the
United States' efforts to address grievances through diplomatic means. While Madison does not
explicitly request a declaration of war and leaves the matter for Congress to consider, his support for a
declaration of war is clear. (From the Library of Congress)
Investigation Fort McHenry: Declaration of War
©2012 Maryland Public Television. All rights reserved.
Page 2
A Southerner Urges Continental Expansion
http://www.thewarof1812.com/Warof1812documents/asouthernerurgescontinentalexpansion.htm
In this excerpt from a speech delivered before Congress in 1811, Congressman Felix Grundy from
Tennessee argues that the U.S. should go to war against Great Britain to address Great Britain's
interference with American maritime rights and to drive the British from North America. Grundy goes
on to propose that driving the British from the continent will diminish Indian attacks and will allow the
U.S. to annex Canada, thereby counterbalancing the Louisiana Territory and preserving the equilibrium
between North and South.
Proclamation of the Declaration of War against Great Britain
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/rbpebib:@field(NUMBER+@band(rbpe+22800800))
This document is a proclamation by President James Madison announcing Congress' declaration of war
against Great Britain in 1812 and asking American citizens to support the war effort. (From the Library
of Congress)
Investigation Fort McHenry: Declaration of War
©2012 Maryland Public Television. All rights reserved.
Page 3
Historical Investigation
An historical investigation helps you take a closer look at events, people and places. To understand what
happened in the past, you have to investigate, analyze, evaluate and make a judgment based on the
evidence. But how do you make sense of all of the information out there? Follow the steps below to
begin your investigation.
Ask a Question: What am I trying to find out?
Background Knowledge: What do I already know?
Uncovering the Evidence: Where do I find more information?
Source
Primary or Secondary
Details that help me answer my question
State your Case: Use Evidence and Details to Answer the Question
Investigation Fort McHenry: Declaration of War
©2012 Maryland Public Television. All rights reserved.
Page 4