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The Election of James Madison
James Madison was elected in 1808. He was a small, neat, rather precise person, narrower in his interests than Jefferson but in many ways a deeper thinker. He was more conscientious in the performance of his duties and more consistent in adhering to his principles. -
Ratification of Macon's Bill No. 2
In 1809, Secretary of the Treasury Gallatin was alarmed by the growing federal deficit. He urged Representative Nathaniel Macon of North Caroline to introduce legislation to remove all restrictions on commerce with France and Britain. It authorized the president to reapply the principle of non-intercourse to either of the major powers if the other should "cease to violate the neutral commerce of the Unites States." This Became law in May 1810. -
The Battle of Tippecanoe
With about a thousand soldiers, General Harrison marched boldly against the brother's camp at Prophetstown, where Tippecanoe Creek joins the Wabash, in Indiana. While Tecumseh was away recruiting soldiers, the Prophet ordered an assault on Harrison's camp out side the village on November 7, 1811. Harrison's soldiers held their ground despite the Prophet's magic and destroyed Prophetstown. While the battle was pretty much a draw, it disillusioned the Indians and shattered their confederation. -
General Williams Leads the First Arm of the Three-pronged Attack
In July 1812 General Williams Hull, now governor of the Michigan Territory, marched forth with 2,200 against the Canadian positions facing Detroit. Hoping that the Canadian militia would desert, he delayed his assault, only to find his communications threatened by hostile Indians led by Tecumseh. Hastily he retreated to Detroit, and when the Canadians, under General Isaac Brock, pursued him, he surrendered the fort without firing a shot. -
The Second Failure of the Three-pronged Attack
In October, another force attempted to invade Canada from Fort Niagara. After an initial success it was crushed by superior numbers, while a large contingent of New York Militiamen watched from the east bank of the Niagara River, unwilling to fight outside their own state. -
General Dearborn is Unsuccessful in Part Three of the Three-pronged Attack
Major General Henry Dearborn, who had fought honorably in the Revolution from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, but who had now grown so fat that he needed a specially designed cart to get from place to place, set out from Plattsburgh, New York, at the head of an army of militiamen. Their objective was Montréal, but when they reached the border, the troops refused to cross. Dearborn meekly marched them back to Plattsburgh. -
The Indians Fought Back Against Their Oppressors
Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief, made an effort by binding the tribes east of Mississippi into a great confederation. Tenskwatawa, Tecumseh's brother, saw visions and claimed to be able to control the movement of heavenly bodies; also known as "The Prophet". Together, thousands of Indians were organizing to drive the whites off Indian land by 1811. -
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The War of 1812
President Madison regarded an attack on Canada as a way to force the British to respect neutral rights. Also if the United States conquered Canada, Britain's hope of obtaining food in Canada for its West Indian Sugar islands would be crushed. Then if Britain does not end the assaults and restrictions on American ships, the island's economy would collapse. The War Hawks called for war against Britain because they saw no other choice to defend the nation honor and the true independence. -
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The Fall of Napoleon
In 1812 Napoleon had invaded Russia and been thrown back; thereafter, one by one, his European satellites rose against him. Gradually he relinquished his conquests; the Allies--his enemies--marched into France, Paris fell and in April 1814 Napoleon was driven from power. Then the British, free to strike hard at the United States, dispatched some 14,000 veterans to Canada. -
The Meeting of Hartford Convention
A meeting of New England Federalists held in December 1814 and January 1815 to protest the war and to plan for a convention of the states to revise the Constitution. Federalist-controlled state administrations refused to provide militia to aid in the fight and discouraged individuals and banks from lending money to the hard-pressed national government. -
Treaty of Ghent Signing Ends the War
This treaty was signed to resolve the War of 1812. It fixed the relationship between the two nations (Britian and America). The Europeans were not hasty to sign this treaty. The treaty was signed but the information was not sent over to the U.S. in time, so the Battle of New Orleans was pointlessly fought. -
The End of the War
After the last battle of the War of 1812, The Battle of New Orleans, the war finally ended. America had suffered relatively few casualties and little economic loss, except to the shipping interests. The Indians were the main losers in the contest. When Jackson defeated the Creeks, for example, he forced them to surrender 23 million acres, constituting three-fifths of what is now Alabama and one-fifth of Georgia.
