The Coming of War
James Madison, U.S. president in 1808, was faced with a issue. He was deciding whether or not to continue the unpopular trade war started by Thomas Jefferson, he was also feeling pressured by the war hawks. In 1812, he came to the conclusion that Congress must decide on war. Few days later, Congress voted to declare war. This was the first time in history that Congress declared war. James Madison served his second term as president during the War of 1812.
War at Sea
The British had the advantaged for battles at sea. Their navy had hundreds of ships while the U.S. had less than twenty ships. Despite that, Britain's naval fleet were scattered around the world. Americans were able to pick off British ships one by one, they won seven times in one-on-one battles.Embarrassed by this, British ships eventually blocked American seaports.
Battles Along the Canadian Border
Americans knew they were doing well at sea, so they hoped to invade Canada to follow up their victories. Three plans of attack were planned. They would follow from Detroit, Niagara Falls and from up the Hudson River valley towards Montreal. Detroit's attacked failed in the August of 1812. The cause was that Indians led by Tecumseh and British soldiers both conquered Fort Detroit. The two other attacks also failed due to the U.S. military arguing that they don't have to fight in a foreign country. Later on in 1813, the U.S. came back to attack again. A man named Oliver Hazard Perry was given the task to breal Britain's influence over Lake Erie. On September 10th, he and his men sailed out to the British, which soon began the Battle of Lake Erie. The British surrendered. Now that Lake Erie was dealt with, General Harrison and his soldiers went into Canada. In October 1813, he won and defeated both Native American forces allied with British forces at the Battle of the Thames. This ended Britain's power within the Northwest.
The Creek War
Conflicts with American Indians began to occur in the South. The Creek Indians were angry at Americans because their land was being settled into by them. These Indians attacked and destroyed fort Mims, killing 250 Americans while in the process. Seeing this, commander Andrew Jackson brought his 2,000 volunteers to fight against the Creeks. This battle took place in the spring of 1813 at the Tallapoosa River, Alabama. Jackson was victorius. In the late 1814's. Jackson signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson that put an end to the Creek War and also forced the Creek to give up millions of acres of land.
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