war of 1812

• after the French Revolution, Napoleon had taken control of France and was at war with Great Britain in Europe
• France's support of the American Revolution had offended and alienated Great Britain
• Madison's reasons for declaring war

  1. trade wars between US and GB - each wanted control of European/North American trade
  2. impressment of American sailors - American sailors were 'kidnapped' for British navy
  3. Britain's support of Indigenous land claims
  4. American pro-war 'hawks' - want to expand into the Canadas
  5. manifest destiny - Americans believed they had a right to expand their territory to enhance wealth/power
• America's goals for the war

  • remove all traces of Great Britain from North America
  • control the continent and its resources
• BNA's defenses on the war

  • many resources taken by war in Europe
  • 2 men opposed US's plan to annex BNA - British General Isaac Brock and Shawnee leader Tecumseh
• Tecumseh

  • convinced people to support the British for better survival chances
  • actively resisted white settlement, particularly the expansion plans of the Americans
  • Americans responded with warfare on First Nations
  • supported + encouraged by the British
• surrender of Detroit

  • Brock - in charge of Upper Canada; joined forces with Tecumseh and chased US forces across the border
  • initiated a bold plan to take Fort Detroit from the Americans
  • without firing a single shot, the US forces surrendered in Detroit
• Battle of Queenston Heights

  • October 13, 1812 - American forces attacked across the Niagara River at Queenston Heights
  • when he heard of the attack, Brock rushed to join the initial assault while the main body of British, Canadian, and Indigenous forces gathered
  • Brock led a charge to capture the Heights but got shot and killed
• when the British army arrived at the Heights, they drove off the invaders - the Battle of Queenston Heights was over and Upper Canada was spared
• leaders such as British regulars, French and English Canadian militias, and Indigenous warriors held back the Americans for another 2 years after Brock died
• Tecumseh continued to resist the Americans, but finally fell on October 5, 1813 at the Battle of the Thames
• British victories

  • had better strategy than US --> Forts Michilimackinac, Detroit, and Queenston Heights
  • attacked Bladensbrug and then marched on Washington, DC (the capitol)
  • GB burns down the White House in August 1814
• American victories

  • Battle of Plattsburg Bay, New Orleans (after the Treaty of Ghent)
• the Treaty of Ghent

  • both sides wanted to end war
  • signed on December 24, 1814
  • restored relations between the two nations to status quo ante bellum (returned everything to exactly what it was before the war)
  • no loss of territory on either side
• consequences

  • since the Treaty of Ghent didn't change anything, no land changed hands, no money was owed to the other side (nobody really won)
  • British felt they had won bc the Americans failed to conquer Upper Canada + BNA --> solidified BNA's power
  • Americans felt they had won bc they beat the superpower that was Britain --> proved they could withstand GB
  • both countries saw an increase in national identity and pride --> called nationalism
• consequences

  • Indigenous peoples - the war was a disaster --> they never will be in a position where they were almost equal to Europeans in power --> many had been killed in battles/raids on their villages --> the war brought failed hopes and broken promises