Lesson 4: The War of 1812

Key Idea

In June 1812, urged by the War Hawks, Congress declared war on Great Britain. However, the United States was unprepared. The army was small and poorly trained, leading to early disasters, including a failed invasion of Canada.

Despite these failures on land, the tiny U.S. Navy achieved stunning victories. The frigate USS Constitution defeated British ships in one-on-one duels, earning the nickname Old Ironsides because cannonballs seemed to bounce off its oak hull. A crucial turning point came in 1813 on Lake Erie. American Commander Oliver Hazard Perry built a fleet of ships and defeated the British navy, famously reporting, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." This victory secured the northern border.

Key Idea

By 1814, Britain defeated France in Europe and turned its full military strength toward the United States. In August, British troops marched into Washington, D.C., and burned the White House and the Capitol building. It was a low point for the nation, though First Lady Dolley Madison famously saved a portrait of George Washington before fleeing.

The British then moved to attack Baltimore but were stopped by the stubborn defense of Fort McHenry. During the night-long bombardment, a lawyer named Francis Scott Key watched from a nearby ship. When he saw the American flag still flying at dawn, he wrote a poem that later became the Star-Spangled Banner, America’s national anthem.

Key Idea

Tired of fighting, both sides signed the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814. The treaty ended the war but left borders unchanged, resolving none of the original issues like impressment.

However, news of the peace traveled slowly. Two weeks after the treaty was signed, General Andrew Jackson led a ragtag American army to a decisive victory at the Battle of New Orleans. The British suffered over 2,000 casualties, while the Americans lost only 71.