James Madison and the War of 1812

1. President James Madison
and
The War of 1812

2. 1. Frigate – an armed warship
2. War Hawks – members of
Congress who wanted to declare
war against Great Britain
3. Nationalism – a sense of pride
and loyalty to one’s country

3. • Republican James Madison was elected president in 1808
• When he took office in March 1809, Britain was still halting American
ships; Madison saw Britain as a threat to the U.S.
• Meanwhile, conflicts in the West increased

4. • Shawnee chief Tecumseh
warned Native Americans
about the dangers they faces
from settlers forcing them off
their lands
• Along with his brother, called
“The Prophet”, Tecumseh
urged Native Americans to
unite. They believed that unity
and an alliance with the
British in Canada would stop
the movement of American
settlers into Native lands

5. • The American governor of the Indian
Territory General William Henry
Harrison, feared the combined power
of Tecumseh and the British
• In 1811, Harrison attacked
Prophetsown, the village founded by
Tecumseh’s brother on the
Tippacanoe River. • In the Battle of Tippacanoe,
Prophetstown was destroyed
and the Americans were
victorious
• Tecumseh fled to Canada, fully
joining with the British troops

6. • In Washington, members of Congress
known as War Hawks pressured Pres.
Madison to declare war against Britain
• Leading War Hawks included Henry
Clay and John Calhoun
• Many Federalist Congressmen such as
Daniel Webster were opposed to war,
fearing that the U.S. was not ready to
fight a powerful nation
• The War Hawks won the debate, and
on June 18, 1812, Congress declared
war on Great Britain – the first time
the U.S. ever declared war

7. FYI - In U.S. politics, the Great
Triumvirate refers to three statesmen who
dominated American politics for much of the
first half of the 19th century: Henry Clay of
Kentucky, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts,
and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina.

8. • Fighting began in July 1812, when General William Hull led the American
army into Canada, where he was met by Tecumseh and his warriors.
• After Hull surrendered, Gen. Harrison realized that the Americans could
not will any battles in Canada as long as the British controlled Lake Erie
• In 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was
given the task of breaking Britain’s control
of Lake Erie
• Perry defeated the British naval force in the Battle of Lake Erie, giving the
U.S. control of the Lake

9. • Harrison then led his troops into Canada
• In the Battle of the Thames (pronounced tems), he defeated a force of British
and Native American troops. Tecumseh was killed in battle.

10. • Though small, the U.S. navy had three fast frigates.
• One, the USS Constitution, destroyed two British vessels
• When a shot bounced off the hull of the Constitution during a battle, a sailor
nicknamed the ship “Old Ironsides”

11. • In the South, war was taking
place between the Creek Indians
and the Americans
• Commander Andrew Jackson
defeated the Creeks at the Battle
of Horseshoe Bend
• The Treaty of Fort Jackson in
1814 ended the Creek War and
forced the Creeks to give up most
of their land to the U.S.

12. • By April 1814 the British had defeated France in Europe, and sent more troops
to America
• They attacked Washington DC, setting fire to the White House and the Capitol

13. • Next, the British troops sailed to Baltimore, which was guarded by Fort
McHenry
- The Americans would not surrender, and the British retreated
- On September 14, 1814 during the Battle of Baltimore, young lawyer
and amateur poet Francis Scott Key was so moved by the sight of the
American flag still flying over Fort McHenry that he wrote a poem called
“Defence of Fort McHenry”
- This poem would become our National Anthem, today called “The Star-
Spangled Banner”

15. • On December 24, the Treaty of Ghent was signed in Belgium. This treaty
officially ended the War of 1812
• However, communication was slow, and no one knew about the treaty
• In mid-December, a group of Federalists who opposed the war met in Hartford,
Connecticut. At the Hartford Convention, they agreed to send delegates to
meet with Congress

16. • In January 1815 the British hoped to capture New Orleans and take control of
the Mississippi River
• Andrew Jackson commanded the U.S. forces at the Battle of New Orleans
• The British were quickly defeated, and the battle became the last major conflict
in the War of 1812

17. • The War of 1812:
- Gave Americans a feeling of
nationalism
- Diminished the power of the
Native Americans
- Boosted American
manufacturing
• Having proved that the U.S. could
stand up to enemies, the country
was now ready for growth and
expansion.