The War of 1812

Canadian History 11

 By

the early-1800s, Britain and France had been fighting on and off for a number of years... tried to weaken Britain by cutting off trade with other countries, but this backfired...

Napoleon

 Napoleon

ordered that all European ports under his control be closed to ships from Britain...

Britain

required all neutral ships to acquire a license in a British port before they could sail to Europe...

 The

economy in the United States depended on trade with Europe, so the Americans had a decision to make...

 Besides

preventing Americans from trading, the British had a second reason for stopping ships from the USA... British insisted on the right of search.

The

The Chesapeake Incident of 1807 Off the Virginia Coast, the USS Chesapeake was approached by a British vessel, the HMS Leopard, which asked to board and reclaim four deserters. When the Chesapeake refused, the British vessel opened fire, violating international law and outraging the entire United States.

 By

1812 British ships had captured almost 400 vessels, severely disrupting American export trade...

 The

division of land after the American Revolution did not leave everyone satisfied... settlers were moving farther and farther west, encroaching onto Native lands...

Americans

 Battle

of Tippecanoe 1811 Led by great chief Tecumseh The Shawnee were defeated and many fled to Canada They believed that if they could get help from the Canadians and British they would be able to keep their way of life.

number of American politicians believed that they could break the Natives resistance to the westward expansion... successful invasion of British North America would eliminate the colonists there as possible allies of the native peoples.

 The

War Hawks claimed that Upper and Lower Canada would be easy to defeat. The Canadian border was long, and defended by a small number of British soldiers and Canadian volunteers. The Canadian population was small and because many were former Americans, invaders from the US may be welcomed. Britain was too busy fighting Napoleon in Europe to send many soldiers to defend British North America.

 By

June of 1812, President James Madison of the USA believed that war with Britain could not be avoided. He decided to declare war. July 12th, an army of more than one thousand Americans marched into Canada.

On

 June

18: The Unites States declares war on Great Britain. President Madison lists the following causes: Impressment of American citizens into the British navy British ships stopping and searching American vessels British naval blockade, by which United States' "commerce had been plundered in every sea" British Orders in Council British inciting of Amerindians against the United States

The army under my command had invaded your country. Do not be afraid. As long as you behave in a friendly way, you will not be harmed. Just continue with your normal, everyday lives. I come to rescue you from the British. I am sure to succeed, so I do not even need your help. My army is powerful, and others like it are on the way. If you choose to fight against us, we will have to treat you as enemies. Then you will discover how horrible war really can be. The US offers you peace, liberty and security. You must choose between these and war, slavery and destruction.

Put yourself in the place of an Upper Canadian hearing the announcement. What feelings and thoughts would it have aroused in you? Would you have been afraid? Angry? Ready to do as the general said? Determined to join with others to drive out the invaders? Is this announcement as example of propaganda?

 The

Atlantic colonies were well protected by the British navy, while Upper Canadian colonies were too spread out. Montral or Qubec were to be captured it would cut British North American in two and much of Canadas population would be left with little choice but to surrender. the invasion began in Upper Canada. The War Hawks thought that Upper Canada would make a nice addition to their region.

If

However,

Sir Isaac Brock

He

won decisive victories at Fort Mackinac and Fort Detroit after forging an alliance with Tecumseh and other Aboriginal peoples... Natives lands of their own if they were to support the British

Promised

Sir Isaac Brock

Brock

led the charge up Queenston Heights and was an easy target... troops were able to retake Queenston Heights as the British won the battle

His

The year ended with the failure of the US invasions in large part because of Brock

Laura Secord
In

the Summer of 1813, the USA made another attempt to invade Canada... June, a group of American soldiers stopped at Laura Secords home... overheard them talking about a surprise attack on the British and Canadian forces at Beaver Dam...

In

She

Laura Secord
A

surprise attack followed, but the approaching American army was the victim... in a crossfire set up by Canadian Iroquois, they gladly surrendered to FitzGibbon... magazine published an article about her, describing her as a heroine of the War of 1812 and she became a legend.

Caught

Tecumseh
Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief, was vital to the British successes in the war; he convinced the Native peoples to align with Britain Brock promised separate Indian country once the British defeated the Americans

Battle of Thames
The

Americans had built up their navy and had the upper hand on Lake Erie; they were able to bring in fresh troops and supplies... months went by, the Americans were able to gain control of Detroit and the surrounding areas... British forces fell back into Canadian territory until Tecumseh convinced the British to take a stand...

As

The

Charles de Salaberry
In

October 1813, American forces appeared to be headed for Montral... Salaberry, along with 800 Voltigeurs and a number of native allies, were waiting at Chateauguay, south of Montral. An American force of 4000 arrived and was met by rounds of heavy gunfire.
The

Americans believed that they were up against a much bigger army and their commander ordered them back across the border into the USA.

Charles de Salaberry
Another

invading army, advancing from the west along the St. Lawrence, suffered a bloody defeat at Cryslers Farm... The USA had little to show for its actions against Canada.

Atlantic Colonies
Privateers

were privately-owned, fastsailing ships used for trade in peacetime... During the war, they were licensed by the British to attack enemy shipping. It was a risky business, but the possible rewards were great

Atlantic Colonies
Not

just privateers, but everyone in the Atlantic colonies enjoyed a boom time during the War of 1812. before had there been such a demand for timber, farm products foodstuffs and social life. A lot of money poured into the Atlantic region.

Never

Atlantic Colonies
The

New England States were against the war as trade with Britain had been important to them. They even kept trading with the British colonies during the war. The coasts of the Atlantic colonies were safe from attack. The British navy set up a blockade of American ports.

Victories
After

the abdication of Napoleon, Britain was freed up to concentrate on North American and one action after another was taken against American territory.

Victories
In

the Spring of 1814, the Americans had landed at York and met with little opposition...
a British ammunition supply exploded, killing several of the invaders.

But,

Angrily,

they invaded the provincial Parliament Buildings, then burned them down.

Victories
In

the Mid-summer of 1814, there was an attack on Washington, D.C. British troops overran the American capital city just after the President and other residents had fled to the countryside. buildings were set on fire.

Several

Victories

 By

the fall of 1814, both sides were tired of the war and Britain and the USA agreed to hold meetings in Belgium. The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814, officially ending the war.

 At

the end of the war, Britain held some territory south of the Great Lakes and in Maine. All captured lands were given back. The New Brunswick-Maine boundary was left unclear and wouldnt be settled until 1842. Beyond the Lake of the Woods, the 49th parallel was to be the dividing line all the way to the Oregon Territory, which was to be shared. Fishing rights were another difficult problem. Britain finally agreed to allow Americans to continue fishing in the coastal waters of British North America. American fishermen also were given the right to dry their fish on the shores of NL and NS.

Long-term effects of the war:

Fears of another war remained for years. The USA built roads to the Canadian border for the use of their armies. On the Canadian side, the Rideau Canal was constructed between Kingston and Bytown. It provided a second route between the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes, in case the Americans gained control of part of Canada. Fort Henry was built to guar the Kingston area of the canal route.

Aftermath

Battle of New Orleans

The news of peace, however, did not reach NA for some time, resulting in serious consequences. Unaware that peace has recently been declared, the British and American forces clash at the Battle of New Orleans The outcome of the battle was disastrous for the British. They lost over 700 men killed, and over a thousand more wounded. American deaths numbered less than 10. And neither side knew that the war was officially over, and the Peace Treaty of Ghent had been signed.