The war of 1812
Washington, in his farewell address, urged the United States to stay neutral between France and England. This became increasingly difficult as time went on, because neither country respected U.S. neutrality. A new generation of leaders of leaders was emerging in Congress including Andrew Jackson, Tennessee, and Henry Clay, Kentucky; the new leaders emerging were mainly War Hawks, or members of Congress in favor of declaring war on Britain.
In 1812, America went to war with England, because the British were capturing American ships, forcing American sailors to work in the British Navy, also known as impressment, and occupying the Northwest Territory even though the Treaty of Paris specified they had to leave. The last reason was that Americans wanted to have Indian land, but the British were protecting the Indians. After the war in Europe between France and England ended with British victory, the British were able to send more troops to the United States. Major General Robert Ross and his troops invaded Washington D.C. Under orders to "destroy and lay waste" to the cities they encountered, they destroyed several important buildings in Washington D.C. The troops attempted to burn the Capitol, but had a difficult time doing so, as the Capitol was well constructed and made up of stone on the outside. Eventually, they were able to burn the building by creating a large fire inside the Capitol, using curtains, furniture and other flammable objects. After the Capitol, Ross continued on to the President's Houses, the Treasury, and the Library of Congress.
Then British ships moved on to Baltimore, but this time the Americans were ready. Major General Samuel Smith commanded the city to protect it from British invasion. He ordered that the merchants sink some of their ships to from a blockade, so that the British would have to attack Fort McHenry before reaching the city. The British Navy arrived at Fort McHenry and used bombardment in an attempt to destroy the fort. During the heavy fire, an unexpected thing happened, the British commander General Robert Ross was killed causing confusion among the British. Fort McHenry survived the attack, forcing the British to turn the ships around and leave in defeat. The final battle of the War of 1812 was fought on January 8, 1815. This battle was a huge American victory and boosted the morale of the American people.
In 1812, America went to war with England, because the British were capturing American ships, forcing American sailors to work in the British Navy, also known as impressment, and occupying the Northwest Territory even though the Treaty of Paris specified they had to leave. The last reason was that Americans wanted to have Indian land, but the British were protecting the Indians. After the war in Europe between France and England ended with British victory, the British were able to send more troops to the United States. Major General Robert Ross and his troops invaded Washington D.C. Under orders to "destroy and lay waste" to the cities they encountered, they destroyed several important buildings in Washington D.C. The troops attempted to burn the Capitol, but had a difficult time doing so, as the Capitol was well constructed and made up of stone on the outside. Eventually, they were able to burn the building by creating a large fire inside the Capitol, using curtains, furniture and other flammable objects. After the Capitol, Ross continued on to the President's Houses, the Treasury, and the Library of Congress.
Then British ships moved on to Baltimore, but this time the Americans were ready. Major General Samuel Smith commanded the city to protect it from British invasion. He ordered that the merchants sink some of their ships to from a blockade, so that the British would have to attack Fort McHenry before reaching the city. The British Navy arrived at Fort McHenry and used bombardment in an attempt to destroy the fort. During the heavy fire, an unexpected thing happened, the British commander General Robert Ross was killed causing confusion among the British. Fort McHenry survived the attack, forcing the British to turn the ships around and leave in defeat. The final battle of the War of 1812 was fought on January 8, 1815. This battle was a huge American victory and boosted the morale of the American people.
During the Battle of Fort McHenry, a giant American flag was raised above the fort. If the flag was lowered it signified that the Americans had surrendered to the enormous British Navy. For hours and hours, the British shelled the fort with a variety of ammunition. As the shelling continued the flag would not go down, so the British commander ordered that all of the ammunition be targeted directly at the flag. When morning came, the American flag was still standing over Fort McHenry, in shards at an unnatural angle. Upon investigation, the flag was being held up by the bodies of fallen Patriots. This battle inspired the National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
The last battle of the War of 1812 was fought on January 3, 1805 in New Orleans. Major General Andrew Jackson was commanding the rag-tag army that was to defend New Orleans including army regulars, free African-Americans, frontier militiamen, Choctaw tribe members, the wealthy men in New Orleans, and even pirates. The battle lasted only 30 minutes and resulted in over 2,000 British casualties and less than 100 American casualties. Though this battle was fought after an agreement for a treaty had been in Britain. Andrew Jackson was rocketed into the spotlight for his bravery and later became president. The Treaty of Ghent was officially ratified by Congress on February 18, 1815.
For further information on the battles of the War of 1812 visit:
http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/timeline/
http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/timeline/
HOw did the war of 1812 transformed the nation?
The War of 1812 forced the British to recognize the United States as a country and to give up hopes that it would return to British rule. The United States had fought against the strongest military power in the world and won, again, thus proving that the United States could hold its own in battle.