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Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars
During the Napoleonic Wars (between France and Britain), England kidnapped American sailors because they needed soldiers to fight (an act known as impressment). Thomas Jefferson tried to sign a treaty that would put an end to impressment, but England did not accept the agreement. Thus, America went to war with England. -
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Napoleonic Wars
Wars between the French under control of Napoleon Bonaparte and a variety of other countries. Beginning date not strictly determined. -
Beginning of the War of 1812
The United States decided to decare war on England because of impressment. The United States seeked to secure its rights. During the war, the French and British both created naval blockades off the coast of Europe which made confiscation of goods from American ships common. -
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War of 1812
Although the treaty was signed in 1814, battles continued into 1815 by those who were unaware of the war's end. -
Battle of Lake Erie
The Battle of Lake Erie was a naval engagement between 6 British ships and 9 American ships. America won, forcing the British to give up control of the lake. The battle was led by Commodore Robert Heriot Barclay and Captain Oliver Hazard Perry for the British and American sides, respectively. -
Burning of Washington
In order to intmidate the Americans, 4,000 British soldeirs marched onto Washington D.C, and burned it to the ground. The British soldiers recieves no resistance as the residents fled upon seeing the British troops. -
Battle of Baltimore and Fort McHenry
The British Bombared Fort McHenry for 25 hours with Congreve rockets and mortars. The city was defended by a militia of 9,000 men.The British couldn't make any progress because of this militia defending the city, so they retreated. -
Writing of the "Star Spangled Banner"
Francis Scott Key wrote the song as he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry after getting Dr. William Beanes released from British jail. While the fort was being bombarded, Key feared that the fort had fallen. When the sun rose, he could see that the American flag still flew over the fort, indicating it had not surrendered. -
Treaty of Ghent
The British agreed to the Treaty of Ghent which made England give up the Northwest territory. The British wanted to keep what they had captured during the war, while the US wanted to have things returned to how they were before the war. The treaty did not address the original causes of the war. -
Battle of New Orleans
The British attempted to capture New Orleans in order to cripple the trade of the U.S. The leader of the American forces was Andrew Jackson. They were beaten decisively. U.S casualties totalled 34, while British casualties totalled 1,994. Unfortunatley, this battle was fought after the treaty had been signed because information could not be sent instantly. -
Creation of the "Star Spangled Banner" flag
Congress passed a plan which changed the format of the flag to one of a star and stripe for each state. The flag was sewn by Mary Pickersgill in 1813. The dimensions of the original flag were 30x42 ft.
