*When James Madison became President, American settlers in the west struggled with the Native Americans.  The Native Americans were supported by the British, who also had forts in the area.

*The Native Americans were led by the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, who said that Americans' treaties with different tribes were worthless, because no-one had the right to give away land.  Tecumseh was supported by his brother 'The Prophet.'  Together they tried to unite all the Native American peoples.

*American settlers were led by the Governor of the Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison.

*In 1811, while Tecumseh was trying to unite the southern tribes, Harrison attacked the Prophet's followers on the Tippecanoe River.  'Tippecanoe' became Harrison's nickname, but it pushed Tecumseh into open alliance with Britain, which encouraged many westerners to want to attack Canada.

*The loudest of these were the War Hawks, young Republicans from the west, like Henry Clay and John Calhoun.  They demanded war to get revenge for British insults—can the class name any? (such as impressment, forts along the Great Lakes, and support for Tecumseh)--and to conquer land in Canada (and perhaps Florida).  In June, 1812, Madison declared war.

*Americans expected to win many battles on land while the British were busy fighting Napoleon in Europe, but worried about what the British might do at sea.  To everyone's surprise, the reverse occurred.  American forces invaded Canada several times, and were defeated in almost every battle (except for killing Tecumseh at the Thames and burning the city of York (Toronto)).  However, America's navy won some early victories at sea and on the Great Lakes.

*In 1813 Oliver Hazard Perry fought the British and won the Battle of Lake Erie, saying 'we have met the enemy and they are ours.'  At sea, America's fast frigates and privateers out-sailed and outfought many larger but slower British ships.

*The British navy did allow the British army to attack American coastal cities, including Washington, D.C. 

*After burning Washington, the British attacked Baltimore.  They were stopped by Fort McHenry after a fierce bombardment.  During the battle, Francis Scott Key (visiting the British navy to negotiate an exchange of prisoners) lost sight of the Star-Spangled Banner until it was revealed by the dawn's early light, and later wrote a poem about it. 

*America also won victories in the southwest.  In 1812 Governor Willie Blount of Tennessee had called for volunteers to fight the British and the Creek (who were attacking settlers in the South), and so many men volunteered that Tennessee got a new nickname.  The man chosen to command these Volunteers was Andrew Jackson, whose troops said he was as tough as Old Hickory.

*In 1813 and 1814 Jackson fought the Creek, destroying them at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.  From there he went to protect New Orleans, which was under threat of invasion by the British.

*On 8 January, 1815, Jackson's men (including local gamblers and pirates) set up a line of defence behind rows of cotton bales.  The British repeatedly attacked and were slaughtered:  over 2,000 British troops were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner, while only 71 Americans were killed or injured.  This made Jackson a national hero.

*Unknown to Jackson (or anyone else in America) the War of 1812 had already ended with the Treaty of Ghent in December, 1814.  No land changed hands and nothing was said about impressment of sailors, but that ended nonetheless.

*The Treaty of Ghent was also unknown to a group of Federalists who met in the Hartford Convention in December 1814 to discuss how to oppose the war.  Some of them even suggested seceding from the Union.  When news of the Treaty of Ghent arrived, they were seen as unpatriotic, and the Federalist party essentially collapsed.  However, some of the War Hawks would take some Federalist ideas of a strong national government to heart, at least as far as a strong national government could support western expansion.

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This page last updated 8 February, 2009.