The War of 1812

The war of 1812 was America’s first war as a nation. They fought hard in many battles, and although they war ended in a “status quo antebellum” (state existing before war) , meaning that all territory won in battles was given back and it was as if the war didn’t happen, America still considered it a victory because it showed Britain that they were serious and could stand their ground.

This war decided how much pull America would have in foreign affairs and trade. President Jefferson wanted to find a way to keep shipping goods to foreign countries, but not be involved in foreign wars. As Britain and France were at war with eachother, neither wanted American ships to bring goods to the other country, and both sides would stop American cargo ships to search them. These encounters could get violent, so in 1807 Jefferson issued the Embargo Act, restricting American goods to America only. Goods weren’t to be sent to any foreign country at all. This was done in an effort to make Britain and France realize that they needed American shipments and that they couldn’t just seize cargo ships and attack sailors.

The plan backfired. America lost money, and goods rotted in ships on the docks. Before Jefferson left the office, he signed a bill that canceled the Embargo Act. James Madison, Jefferson’s successor in Presidency, tried to continue shipments to Britain and France without being involved in the war, but the encounters on the ships became more and more violent, and the American people got angrier and angrier. Something had to be done.

War Hawks were those in favor of engaging in the war. The War Hawks were the new, younger generation of America, wanting to fight for their freedom like their forefathers did in the Revolutionary War. This group was led by people such as Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, who persuaded Madison to ask Congress for a Declaration of War in June 1812.

In 1813, the majority of battles won were won by America, until August when the British stormed DC and burned the White House, The War Office, And the Treasury. They retreated soon after.

In September, there were two American victories. One at Lake Champlain, which cut British interference off to North, and the other in Baltimore at Fort McHenry, which was bombed and attacked for a whole 25 hours, and which also was what inspired Francis Scott Henry to write what is now our country’s national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.”

It is now 1814. Talk of peace begins around August in Europe, as American victories at Plattsburg and in Baltimore had convinced Britain that peace was best. On Christmas Eve, 1814, The Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the war. Except the war didn’t end.

People had to sail across the ocean to get word to both American and British troops in America that a treaty had been signed, and that the war was over. This took weeks, weeks during which the unofficial last battle of the war was going on.

This last battle was The Battle of New Orleans, in which American troops were led by Andrew Jackson. They were led well, with British casualties amounting to 2,000 compared to America’s 13 dead.

While the war was officially over, it was still tense between America and Britain. But America had established that it was a force to be reckoned with, and that they won’t back down.

The American Revolutionary War :D

BAHAMMM..! I did gooood xD

Why should they control them? Britain has no real power, isn’t able to reach across the ocean, the King’s steely glare can’t meet their eyes. Still bossed about, taxed, and punished.

What would you do if you were the puppets of people you had never even met, your money was taken unfairly, or you were forced to provide food and shelter to a soldier who you don’t know, with money out of your own pocket, never to be repaid. Would you not be angry?

Wouldn’t you rebel?

On December 16^th, 1773, the Boston Tea Party occurred. In the dead of night, a group of Rebel colonists boarded the British tea ships docked in the harbor. 342 chests of tea were dumped into the water. Expensive tea, I would imagine. But no matter how expensive the tea, the action taken after-wards still seems a bit drastic.

The Intolerable Acts were set upon the colonists at this time to punish them for what they had done. The Boston Port act closed the port of Boston until the colonists of Boston agreed to pay the East India Company for the cargo aboard the ship. The Massachusetts Government Act made it so that members of the legislature were to be appointed by the King instead of being elected. The Administration of Justice Act states that no royal official that had committed a capitol offense could be tried in Massachusetts. The Quartering Act requires the colonists to provide housing and sustenance for British soldiers, should it be demanded. The Quebec Act changed the government in Canada, disbanding the assembly of representatives and taking away the right of trial by jury.

The creation of the Intolerable Acts caused the colonists to found the Continental Congress. This group gathered to discuss the Intolerable Acts, and the best way to retaliate. They decided that their first action would be to send a redress to King George, saying all violence would cease to be if he canceled the Intolerable Acts. This redress was called The Olive Branch Petition. King George thought this was ridiculous, that they deserved to be punished, and declared them to be in full rebellion.

April 19^th of 1775 marked the beginning of the war. The British soldiers left Boston for Lexington, looking for the rebel leaders Samuel Adams & John Hancock, and for Concord after-wards to destroy the Americans weapons and ammunition stores. Fore-warned by the midnight rider Paul Revere, they were prepared. Sam Adams and John Hancock were able to escape to safety, and the militia in Concord was able to hide the majority of their ammo and weapons.

The battle in Lexington was hardly a fight at all. But as it is where the war started, it is very important. Less than 100 militiamen, led by John Parker in the absence of Samuel Adams & John Hancock, against the much larger British army, led by John Pitcairn. Neither thought a fight would actually commence, but someone fired the famous “Shot heard ’round the world”, and this forced the British to attack. Many of the colonists were killed, and those left fled.

After defeating the colonists in Lexington, the British moved on to Concord. Resistance from the colonists was little, and so they raided the town, looking for the hidden weapons. The Americans had congregated on the outskirts of town, waiting for reinforcements to come. Once their forces became large enough, they decided to cross the North Bridge into Concord. The British met them at the bridge, and the Americans defeated them easily. The British commander realized the Americans were too many, and ordered a retreat.

The British retreated to Boston, and the Americans surrounded them on land. This is called the siege of Boston. It lasted two months after the battle of Concord, and the America militia grew to 15,000 men. The British were a mere 6,000 compared to them. During the Siege of Boston, George Washington was made commander-in-chief of the militiamen.

On June 13^th, the Americans learned that the British were sending out small groups to occupy the small hills surrounding Boston. The night before they were to go, the colonists took to the hills, building earthworks and preparing to fight. When the British advanced on June 17^th, they were surprised to find the hills occupied and defended by the colonists.

The battles took place on Breeds and Bunker Hills. The Americans were able to wreak havoc on the British, even though the British were trained militiamen and the Americans barely had any training. The Americans were able to hold off the British for the majority of the battle, but they eventually retreated. The British had 1054 casualties, compared to the Americans small 367. The British won this battle, as they completed their mission of capturing the hills, but the colonists also had the victory of a great morale boost, as they just learned they could hold their own in a fight against some of the world’s best trained troops.

On July 4^th, 1776, one of the most important documents in history was produced. The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration stated that the 13 colonies were seceding from Britain, that they were to become their own country. This cut off any sliver of help anyone from Britain may have been providing, but gained the full support of France. France outfitted the Americans with supplies and even soldiers, and they sent the Marquis de Lafayette, a great commander of theirs.

But all great things come with a price, and this certainly did. The British were able to capture the city of New York. Now they control both New York and Boston, a terrible blow to the colonists. The Battles of Long Island and White Plains went badly for the colonists, but gave the upper hand to the British. But, just before the end of the year, Washington did something amazing, raising the colonists spirits greatly. He crossed the quite frozen Delaware River over-night on Christmas. The next day, very early, they attacked the city of Trenton, forcing a British retreat, and capturing this important fort.

There were many great leaders in the American Revolution, including Washington, Nathaniel Greene, and Henry Knox. Washington, one of the most well-known leaders, was a great commander-in-chief as he had the ability to manage his troops well, encourage them to do the best they had the ability to do, and he was a brave man, able to stand by them and fight along their side. Nathaniel Greene was one of Washington’s most trusted associates, and he had a very successful campaign in the South that was very valuable to the cause. The Marquis de Lafayette was a French general who was very beneficial to the Americans because he rallied French support for them. Henry Knox helped the cause because he was very skilled in artillery. He became the first Secretary of War, overseeing the artillery division of the military. Francis Marion, nicknamed the “Swamp Fox”, while considered a hero, could also be called sadistic as the tactics he used against the British were cruel and resulted in far more casualties than needed.

The Battle of Capes secured the freedom of the Americans, even though no Americans fought in it. The French Admiral de Grasse led the French, and the British Admiral Thomas Graves led the British soldiers in this battle. This two hour long battle commenced at about 4:15 p.m., with both side heavily firing their cannons at each others ships. Six British ships were damaged, 90 sailors were killed, and they had over 200 wounded. The French lost over 200 men, but only two of their ships were damaged. They paused the fighting to assess the damages, and floated about, not firing at one another, until September 9^th. The British lost sight of de Grasse, who had begun sailing back to Chesapeake Bay to meet de Barres’ fleet. They now had 36 ships.

The British began sailing back to the bay on the 10^th, arriving on the 13^th. Graves knew they couldn’t take that many ships, so he ordered his ships to New York for repair, so he could ship reinforcements to Cornwallis in Yorktown. They were unable to complete this task, and Cornwallis surrendered on October 19^th. The gain of Chesapeake Bay kept Cornwallis from reinforcements, and established a route for Washington to transport soldiers and supplies. If the French hadn’t triumphed in this battle, American independence may well have been impossible.