Transcript Lecture 3 1812

The War of 1812
Americas Second War Against Britain
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Causes
• Causes of the war of 1812 - In the
years following the American
Revolutionary War, there were many
disputes and aggravations between
Great Britain and the United States.
• When revolutionary France declared
war upon Great Britain in 1793, the
United States sought to remain neutral
while pursuing overseas commerce with
both empires, which created much
tension.
• Additionally, Great Britain had not
abandoned fortifications in the Great
Lakes region as called for in the
1783 Treaty of Paris, and was
continuing to supply Native
Americans in the Northwest Territory
who were at war with the United
States.
• In 1795, the United States secured
the Jay Treaty with Great Britain and
the Treaty of Greenville with the
Native Americans, and thus ended
these conflicts for the time being.
• However, when Great Britain and France
went to war again in 1803 with renewed
vigor, these same issues reappeared.
• Great Britain, short of manpower to
keep the Royal Navy at sea, strictly
enforced a policy of searching neutral
vessels for British deserters.
• Late in 1806, the Monroe-Pinkney
Treaty was negotiated in England,
but it was not ratified in the United
States because it did not address
this issue of impressment.
• In 1807, the British ship HMS
Leopard fired upon and then
boarded the American ship
Chesapeake, carrying off four
seamen.
• Though the incident itself was minor,
the American public was outraged at
the slight, and many called for war.
• Meanwhile, France and Great Britain
had implemented embargoes that made
international trade precarious.
• President Thomas Jefferson responded
with the Embargo Act of 1807, which
prohibited American ships from sailing
to any foreign ports and closed
American ports to British ships.
• Although the embargo decreased the
number of American ships attacked by
the French and British, it seriously
damaged the economy of the United
States due to a lack of markets for its
goods.
• Jefferson's embargo was especially
unpopular in New England, where
merchants preferred the indignities of
impressment to the halting of all
overseas commerce.
• In the United States House of
Representatives, a group of young
men known as the "War Hawks"
came to the forefront in 1811, led
by Speaker of the House Henry
Clay of Kentucky and John C.
Calhoun of South Carolina.
• The War Hawks advocated going to war
against Great Britain for a variety of
reasons, mostly related to the
interference of the Royal Navy in
American shipping, which the War
Hawks believed hurt the American
economy and injured American
prestige.
• War Hawks from the western states also
believed that the British were
instigating Native Americans on the
frontier to attack American settlements,
and so the War Hawks called for an
invasion of British Canada to end this
threat.
• In the U.S.
presidential election
of 1812, U.S.
President James
Madison argued for
war against Britain.
• The War of 1812 was
thus the first war
"sold" to the
American public via
popular appeal. On
June 1, 1812 he
gave a speech to the
U.S. Congress,
giving several
reasons for war:
1. Ongoing
impressment of
American sailors
into service on
British Navy ships
2. an insulting breach
of American
sovereignty
3. Britain's navy
"violating the rights
and the peace of
our coasts
4. Britain's blockade of
U.S. ports
• 5. Britain's refusal
to repeal its OrderIn-Council
forbidding neutral • 7. The Senate
countries to trade
voted for war, 19
with European
to 13
countries, and the
British Navy's
enforcement of
this order.
• 6. Britain's
incitement of
Native Americans
and violence
against the
Americans.
• The conflict formally began with the
American declaration of war on June 18.
• This was the first time that the United
States had declared war on another
nation.
• Critics of the war in the United States
referred to it as "Mr. Madison's War."
Video Assignment
• Jot down as many points as you can
regarding the reasons for the war of 1812.
• Think about the 5 w’s
• Who, what, where, when, why
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The Battle Begins Part 1
• Take notes on the following video clips.
• This video will be on your test.
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War of 1812 Part 2
• Again you will need to take notes on the
following clip.
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SHARE WITH A PARTNER
• For the next few minutes get together with a
partner and share your notes.
• We will take these up after the series of
videos is completed.
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Assignment: Mini Essay
• Possible Questions:
• 1.Was the United States justified in
declaring war on Britain and invading
Canada?
• 2. How did the War of 1812 change
American History?
• 3. What were the major consequences of the
War?