Sanchez1

Kevin Sanchez (Period 6) Mrs. Acevedo IB History of the Americas 12 December 2012 The War of 1812 A. Results of the election of 1812 a. James Madison, part of the Democratic - Republican Party at the time, wanted a second term as president. His opponent was a New York politician named DeWitt Clinton, a Federalist candidate. The main issue during this election was the War of 1812. Even though the Federalists were generally opposed to it, they created more problems by heavily criticizing Madison. In addition, they were also protesting because they were annoyed with the fact that the most recent presidents at the moment were all from Virginia and the Federalists wanted a change. In comparison with the previous electoral votes, things were altered when the electoral distribution across the states changed. Louisiana had become a state from the period of 1808 to 1812 and was allotted three electoral votes. In the end, James Madison received over 50% of the popular vote and received 128 electoral votes out of the possible 217 votes. Because he won the majority of the electoral votes, he was given the second term and won the presidential election of 1812. i. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h505.html ii. http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/presidential-election/historicalelection/1812.html

Sanchez2

B. Explain the causes of the War of 1812 a. The official reason as to why the War of 1812 started was made clear in the declaration of written by the United States and addressed to Great Britain. The Impression Issue that was made by the British Government under their Orders-inCouncil. This issue stated that men are forced by the government for induction into the military service. Another issue that sparked this was that the Native Americans were tired of the white Americans taking over their land and pushing their boundaries more and more west. This created rebellions everywhere and Britain was displeased with the results. What the British did is that they aided the Native Americans and supplied them with ammunition and a plethora of weapons. They even encouraged them to fight with the Americans. The tension between the British and the Americans mounted over the years and on 1811, war almost broke out because the British continued to raid American ships. In June 1811, a rebellion left several British and Americans dead. President Madison responded by asking Congress to declare war on Britain in June 1812. i. http://www.thefinertimes.com/War-of-1812/why-did-the-war-of-1812start.html ii. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_did_the_War_of_1812_begin C. What actions were taken to prepare for the War of 1812 a. In March of 1812, Congress had tried to place the Armys supply system by establishing a Quartermaster Department on the military staff in place of the inefficient and costly military agent system. Congress also created the Office of the Commissary General of Purchases in the War Department. An Ordinance Department

Sanchez3

was created to inspect and test out all cannon balls, shells, shots, and basically all the ammunition. The Corps of Engineers was made bigger by adding several new departments, such as miners and bombardiers. Lastly, Congress had authorized for the President to accept volunteer forces and to call upon the states for militia. i. http://www.history.army.mil/books/AMH/AMH-06.htm D. Describe the following campaigns during the War of 1812: a. Invasion of Canada i. During the War of 1812, the civilians that were living in Upper Canada fought the Americans with the help of the British and Indians. The United States planned to take over Upper Canada and Lower Canada in one attack at different locations. The four areas where these attacks occurred were Detroit, the Niagara Falls area, Kingston, and south of Montreal. If they would have won, then they would have taken over Quebec. During the two years that the war lasted, there were wins and losses on both sides. If the United States would have been successful in these battles, Canada may have not evolved into a separate country. 1. http://www.rpsc.org/Library/1812/warof1812.htm b. Naval battles i. Part of the reason for the spark of the War of 1812 was because the United States interfered with the United States commerce and the rights to sail the seas without restraints. The U.S. Navy won many battles between American and British ships. One of the most prominent battles that occurred during this two-year time period was the victory of the United States in USS Constitution

Sanchez4

and the HMS Guerriere. A great number of U.S. warships were able to pass to the blockaders to take control of their ships. In the Battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Oliver Perry allowed American control over the Northwestern Territory. 1. http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/stream/faq45-5.htm c. Great Lake Campaigns i. After the fall of France in1760, the British Navy controlled the Great Lakes. The War of 1812 questioned the naval supremacy of Great Britain. In the early months of the war, the Americans realized that they needed to establish a naval base. On October the 8th, 1812, two British ships were placed across Niagara Falls. The Americans destroyed and burned one boat while capturing the other. Across the passage of time, the Americans won the Battle of Lake Erie on September 13, 1813.With this capture, the invasion of Canada seemed much easier and the Americans would be at peace. In 1815, the Great Lakes Disarmament Treaty was proposed by President Monroe and made formal two years later. 1. http://www.answers.com/topic/great-lakes-naval-campaigns-of-1812 d. Burning of Washington D.C. i. The Battle of Washington D.C. is one of the most popular events that the War of 1812 in known for. The British did this so that the Americans would temporarily forget about Canada and focus on them, in order to aid the Canadians. To the advantage of the British, Washington was poorly fortified. Due to lack of ammunition and security, the capitol of the United States was

Sanchez5

fairly easy to get into. Soldiers were more focused with Baltimore, only 45 minutes away, than with Washington D.C. The actual Battle of Washington D.C. did not begin in the capitol, but instead in a nearby city named Bladensburg. The two separate forces met and without an army to protect the city, the British entered Washington D.C. on August 24. They burned down the Capitol, the Presidents house, the Treasury, the War Office, and the Office of the National Intelligencer. Within four days, they retreated back to the city of Benedict, located to the south of the capitol. 1. http://library.thinkquest.org/22916/washing.html e. Battle of New Orleans i. The Battle of New Orleans was fought between December 23, 1814 and January 8, 1815. Towards the end of the war, the American forces defeated the British. This battle marks the end of the War of 1812. The Treaty of Ghent was signed a few weeks before, but the news of the treaty still had not crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The aim of this war was so that the British could seize a portion of southern Louisiana at the last moment. Under General Andrew Jackson (the only president to have fought in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812), pirates and the militia fought against Britain. About 2,000 soldiers were wounded or killed in just the British side and only 21 Americans were injured or died. This American victory had no major significance during the war because the treaty had already been signed. However, it did save New Orleans and parts of modern-day Louisiana to be captured by the British. 1. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h511.html

Sanchez6

E. Peace settlement a. Throughout the course of the war, several peace offerings were attempted, but all failed. In Ghent, Belgium, a peace agreement was made between the United States and the British. The five American peace commissioners that were present included: Henry Clay, Jonathan Russell, John Quincy Adams, Albert Gallatin, and James Ashton Bayard. The issue the impressing was resolved there because Britain got a large amount of sailors after the defeat of Napoleon. The British told the Americans about building a border between Canada and the United States, but we were not open to this idea. From November of 1814 and onwards, U.S. negotiators were writing the peace treaty. They knew that the wars between the United States and the British should not continue because they were running low on money. On December 24, 1814, the peace treaty was signed and sealed. It stated that the U.S. and the British return to the same conditions they had before the war occurred. There was no mention of impressments or the Orders-in-Council. i. http://www.galafilm.com/1812/e/background/amer_peace.html F. Consequences of the War of 1812 a. The consequences of the War of 1812 were that trade interference involving European nations greatly reduced. American manufacturing in the North increased dramatically. Britain blockading our ports led to an increase in domestic manufacturing and after the war, the industrial economy increased. There was also a brief increase in nationalism, Andrew Jackson became a national hero, Americas independence was certain, our national anthem aroused, the Federalist Party ceased, and lastly, we established the need of a strong navy and army.

Sanchez7

i. http://americanfounding.blogspot.com/ ii. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071015185030AAwFgXt