The War of 1812
Invasion of Canada
British forces were weakest in Canada. The Americans started a three-pronged invasion of Canada against Detroit, Niagara, and Lake Champlain and were all beaten soon after they crossed the Canadian border.
Great Lakes
The British and the Canadians captured the Am fort of Michilimackinac; it commanded the great lakes. Control of the Great Lakes was vital and Am naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry managed to build a fleet of ships on the shores of Lake Erie; all very new and inexperienced (ships and sailors). He defeated a British fleet and gave Am confidence. The British were forced to withdraw from Detroit and Fort Malden and were overtaken by Harrison's army and beaten at the Battle of Thames 1813.
British invasion of New York
In 1814, Britain had to bring in supplies over the Lake Champlain waterway and a weaker Am fleet commanded by Thomas Macdonough(30) met it. They fought and Macdonough, unexpectedly, won. The results were that the British army was forced to retreat and Macdonough saved upper NY from conquest, New England from further disaffection, and the Union from possible dissolution. Also, he greatly affected the concurrent negotiations of the Anglo-American peace treaty in Europe.
Washington D.C.
A second British force landed in the Chesapeake Bay area in Aug 1814 and dispersed about 6,000 panicky militia at Bladensburg. Then they entered the capital and set fire to lots of public buildings and the Capitol and the White House.
Fort McHenry
Americans at Baltimore held firm while Washington was burning. The British fleet hammered Fort McHenry but they couldn't capture the city.
Battle of New Orleans
Jackson led the Americans and got us victory. The overconfident British suffered a devastating blow by losing over two thousand killed and wounded in half an hour. The U.S only suffered about 70. Ironically, a treaty was signed 2 weeks before the battle, but that didn't matter because the U.S fought for honor as much as material gain and the Battle of New Orleans restored that honor.
Treaty of Ghent
Tsar Alexander I of Russia, hard pressed by Napoleon and not wanting his British allies to waste away, proposed mediation that leads to the Treaty of Ghent. 5 Am peacemakers were brought to Ghent, lead by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. The British demanded a neutralized Indian buffer state, control over the Great Lakes, and a big part of Maine. The Americans flat out rejected them. Am. victories in upper NY and at Baltimore made the British more reasonable. They were busy with Napoleon's map of Europe and were still wary of France so they signed the Treaty of Ghent on Christmas eve in 1814. Neither side gained nor lost land.
New England Federalists
A small part of them wanted secession from the Union. "Blue Light" federalists were supposedly flashing lanterns on the shore so that blockading British ships would be alerted to the escaping Am ships. The Hartford convention was a big manifestation of Federalist discontent.
Hartford Convention
Late 1814, before the victory of New Orleans, a convention of federalists made up of 26 met in secrecy for 3 weeks. Dec. 15, 1814----Jan 5, 1815 to discuss their discontent and seek redress for their wrongs. It wasn't as radical as thought to be. A minority demanded secession but most just wanted financial aid from Washington to make up for the lost trade and proposed constitutional amendments requiring a 2/3 vote in Congress before embargo, new states admitted, or war declared. These reflected federalist fears. 3 envoys were sent to Washington with these demands and were overwhelmed by the news of the Battle of NO and the ToG. So after the great news, their demands were seen as petty and the Hartford resolutions were the death of the Federalist party.
Invasion of Canada
British forces were weakest in Canada. The Americans started a three-pronged invasion of Canada against Detroit, Niagara, and Lake Champlain and were all beaten soon after they crossed the Canadian border.
Great Lakes
The British and the Canadians captured the Am fort of Michilimackinac; it commanded the great lakes. Control of the Great Lakes was vital and Am naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry managed to build a fleet of ships on the shores of Lake Erie; all very new and inexperienced (ships and sailors). He defeated a British fleet and gave Am confidence. The British were forced to withdraw from Detroit and Fort Malden and were overtaken by Harrison's army and beaten at the Battle of Thames 1813.
British invasion of New York
In 1814, Britain had to bring in supplies over the Lake Champlain waterway and a weaker Am fleet commanded by Thomas Macdonough(30) met it. They fought and Macdonough, unexpectedly, won. The results were that the British army was forced to retreat and Macdonough saved upper NY from conquest, New England from further disaffection, and the Union from possible dissolution. Also, he greatly affected the concurrent negotiations of the Anglo-American peace treaty in Europe.
Washington D.C.
A second British force landed in the Chesapeake Bay area in Aug 1814 and dispersed about 6,000 panicky militia at Bladensburg. Then they entered the capital and set fire to lots of public buildings and the Capitol and the White House.
Fort McHenry
Americans at Baltimore held firm while Washington was burning. The British fleet hammered Fort McHenry but they couldn't capture the city.
Battle of New Orleans
Jackson led the Americans and got us victory. The overconfident British suffered a devastating blow by losing over two thousand killed and wounded in half an hour. The U.S only suffered about 70. Ironically, a treaty was signed 2 weeks before the battle, but that didn't matter because the U.S fought for honor as much as material gain and the Battle of New Orleans restored that honor.
Treaty of Ghent
Tsar Alexander I of Russia, hard pressed by Napoleon and not wanting his British allies to waste away, proposed mediation that leads to the Treaty of Ghent. 5 Am peacemakers were brought to Ghent, lead by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. The British demanded a neutralized Indian buffer state, control over the Great Lakes, and a big part of Maine. The Americans flat out rejected them. Am. victories in upper NY and at Baltimore made the British more reasonable. They were busy with Napoleon's map of Europe and were still wary of France so they signed the Treaty of Ghent on Christmas eve in 1814. Neither side gained nor lost land.
New England Federalists
A small part of them wanted secession from the Union. "Blue Light" federalists were supposedly flashing lanterns on the shore so that blockading British ships would be alerted to the escaping Am ships. The Hartford convention was a big manifestation of Federalist discontent.
Hartford Convention
Late 1814, before the victory of New Orleans, a convention of federalists made up of 26 met in secrecy for 3 weeks. Dec. 15, 1814----Jan 5, 1815 to discuss their discontent and seek redress for their wrongs. It wasn't as radical as thought to be. A minority demanded secession but most just wanted financial aid from Washington to make up for the lost trade and proposed constitutional amendments requiring a 2/3 vote in Congress before embargo, new states admitted, or war declared. These reflected federalist fears. 3 envoys were sent to Washington with these demands and were overwhelmed by the news of the Battle of NO and the ToG. So after the great news, their demands were seen as petty and the Hartford resolutions were the death of the Federalist party.