Lesson 5: War of 1812

Lesson Focus

The U.S. declared war on Britain in 1812 for national honor. Despite military setbacks and internal division, the conflict ultimately earned the young nation long-sought international respect, solidifying its independence.

People to Know

Andrew Jackson, Oliver Hazard Perry, Francis Scott Key

Learning Objectives

• Identify the key people, events, and treaties of the War of 1812, including the Battle of New Orleans and the Hartford Convention.
• Define frigates and explain their crucial role in the U.S. Navy's early successes at sea.
• Analyze the reasons behind the United States' repeated failures to invade and conquer Canada.
• Explain the tragic irony of the Battle of New Orleans, which occurred after the peace treaty was signed.
• Describe the purpose of the Hartford Convention and explain why its demands ultimately failed.

The U.S. believed conquering Canada would be a “mere military promenade.”
However, the army was unprepared, with old commanders and unwilling militia, leading to failed invasions in 1812. While Commodore Oliver Perry’s victory on Lake Erie in 1813 allowed for some success, the initial goal failed.
This demonstrated that the war would not be the easy victory many leaders, including Andrew Jackson, had predicted, forcing the U.S. to fight a difficult, multi-front war.

The small U.S. Navy possessed several powerful warships called frigates.
These ships won a series of surprising one-on-one battles against the powerful British Royal Navy, boosting American morale and shocking British leaders.
Ultimately, Britain’s much larger fleet established a successful blockade of the entire U.S. Atlantic coast. Pay special attention to how this blockade crippled American trade and trapped the U.S. Navy in its ports for the rest of the war.

After Napoleon's defeat in Europe in 1814, Britain sent thousands of veteran troops to attack America directly.
British forces marched on the capital, burning the White House and Capitol building.
However, American troops successfully defended Plattsburg in the north and Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Note that during the Baltimore bombardment, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the “Star-Spangled Banner” after seeing the American flag still flying over the fort.

A large British force attempted to capture the vital port of New Orleans.
On January 8, 1815, Andrew Jackson led a well-defended and diverse American army that decisively defeated the British attack.
The Battle of New Orleans was a massive victory and a source of national pride. Ironically, this bloody battle was fought two weeks after the peace treaty had already been signed in Europe, making it a strategically useless slaughter.

As the unpopular war, called “Mr. Madison’s War,” dragged on, opposition grew, especially in New England.
In December 1814, delegates met at the Hartford Convention to demand constitutional amendments to increase their region's power.
The convention’s demands were seen as unpatriotic and ignored when news of the victory at New Orleans and the Treaty of Ghent arrived. The war ended in a stalemate, with no territory changing hands.