James Madison (1809-1817) - Weak President
Macon's Bill No.2: permitted trade with all nations but promised that if either Britain or France lifted its commercial restriction commercial restrictions on American trade, the U.S. would stop trading with the other.
Accepted by France >Nonimportation against Great Britain
1811 - War Hawks from the west and southwest dominated congress under the leadership of Henry Clay
Goals: wipe out Indian Resistance
on to Canada
annex Florida
free trade, sailor rights, free land
roads & canals
June 1812 - Declaration of war > Britain
Opposed by the Feds > "Mr. Madison's War"
War of 1812 - One of America's worst-fought wars
- People divided/apathetic
- Militarily unprepared
- Canadian strategy was poorly conceived
Major battles: Battle of the Thames (Oct-1813) > Death of Tecumseh by Harrison forces
Battle of Plattsburg (Sept-1814)
Burning of Washington (Aug-1814)
Baltimore (Fort McHenry )> Star Spangled Banner
New Orleans ( Jan-1815) - Most devastating defeat for the British
* Most effective fighting force America had during the War of 1812 were the privateers
Treaty of Ghent ( Dec-1814 )
1. Both sides stop fighting
2. All conquered territory resorted > Status Quo Treaty
" Not one inch of territory ceded or lost"
Hartford Convention ( late 1814 )
- Adopted resolutions that included a call for
Constitutional Amendments aimed at hobbling Congressional power with a 2/3 vote requirement
Legacy of the War of 1812: Increased nationalism, acceptance of our independence, decline in sectionalism, death of the Federalist Party, emergence of war heroes ( Harrison and Jackson )
1817 - Rush-Bagot Agreement between Britain and the U.S.
- Limited Naval Armament on the Great Lakes > Total disarmament in the 1870's