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War of 1812
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1812, War of
Uncover how the new United States fought with the British over naval impressment and their history of conflict
Tecumseh Battle of the Thames Johnson, Col. Richard; Tecumseh United States Battle of Plattsburgh Bay, Sept. 11, 1814, in which a British squadron under George Downie was turned back by American forces led by Thomas Macdonough. War of 1812: Executive Mansion on fire G. Thompson's wood engraving of “The Burning of the City of Washington” during the War of 1812. At about 8 pm on the evening of Aug. 24, 1814, British troops under the command of Gen. Robert Ross marched into Washington, D.C., after routing hastily assembled American forces at Bladensburg, Md., earlier in the day. Encountering neither resistance nor any U.S. government officials—President Madison and his cabinet had fled to safety—the British quickly torched government buildings, including the Capitol and the Executive Mansion (now known as the White House). New Orleans, Battle of
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1812, War of
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War of 1812: Facts & Related Content

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Facts

Date June 12, 1812 - December 24, 1814
Location Canada • United States
Participants United Kingdom • United States

Did You Know?

  • The Brirish captured Fort Mackinac in Michigan because its commander, Porter Hanks, wasn't informed that the war had begun.
  • Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner after an American victory and borrowed the melody from an English drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven".
  • Americans suffered more causalties from diseases and accidents than from combat.
  • "Remember the Raisin" was an American battlecry dedicated to a military loss at River Raisin.

Photos and Videos

1812, War of
Tecumseh
Battle of the Thames
Johnson, Col. Richard; Tecumseh
United States
Battle of Plattsburgh Bay, Sept. 11, 1814, in which a British squadron under George Downie was turned back by American forces led by Thomas Macdonough.
War of 1812: Executive Mansion on fire
G. Thompson's wood engraving of “The Burning of the City of Washington” during the War of 1812. At about 8 pm on the evening of Aug. 24, 1814, British troops under the command of Gen. Robert Ross marched into Washington, D.C., after routing hastily assembled American forces at Bladensburg, Md., earlier in the day. Encountering neither resistance nor any U.S. government officials—President Madison and his cabinet had fled to safety—the British quickly torched government buildings, including the Capitol and the Executive Mansion (now known as the White House).
New Orleans, Battle of
US Brig Niagara
Uncover how the new United States fought with the British over naval impressment and their history of conflict
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Timeline

Battle of Queenston Heights
October 13, 1812
Battle of Lake Erie
Battle of Lake Erie
September 10, 1813
Johnson, Col. Richard; Tecumseh
Battle of the Thames
October 5, 1813
Battle of Châteauguay
Battle of Châteauguay
October 26, 1813
Battle of Crysler’s Farm
November 11, 1813
Battle of Chippewa
July 5, 1814
Battle of Lundy’s Lane
July 25, 1814
Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland
Battle of Baltimore
September 12, 1814 - September 14, 1814
Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
January 8, 1815

Key People

Asher B. Durand: portrait of James Madison
James Madison
president of United States
Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Shawnee chief
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
president of United States
Isaac Hull, detail from a pencil sketch by L. Pellegrin, 1841.
Isaac Hull
United States naval officer
Smith, Samuel
Samuel Smith
American politician
Jacob Jennings Brown.
Jacob Jennings Brown
United States general
Dearborn, Henry
Henry Dearborn
United States general and politician
David Porter, portrait by Charles Willson Peale, 1818–19
David Porter
United States naval officer
Prevost, Sir George, 1st Baronet
Sir George Prevost, 1st Baronet
British governor in chief of Canada
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
United States naval officer
Stephen Girard
Stephen Girard
American financier
Thomas Macdonough
Thomas Macdonough
United States naval officer
Jones, Jacob
Jacob Jones
United States naval officer
William Hull
United States general
James Lawrence
United States naval officer
William Bainbridge, engraving
William Bainbridge
United States naval officer
John Armstrong
American diplomat
Thomas Pinckney, engraving
Thomas Pinckney
American statesman
Laura Secord
Canadian loyalist
William Orlando Butler
United States soldier, lawyer, and public official

Causes and Effects

Causes
  • Export and import restrictions between the U.S. and Great Britain during the Napoleonic Wars hurt the American economy
  • Skirmishes with Native Americans and British soldiers on the northwestern border of the U.S.
  • The practice during the Napoleonic Wars of the British Navy accosting American merchant ships and seizing alleged deserters who were actually U.S. citizens
Effects
  • Britain's influence among the northwestern Indians ended, leading to unchecked American expansion into that region
  • Canada remained British and eventually developed its own national identity, partly from pride over repulsing U.S. invasions
  • Despite the U.S. achieving none of its objectives during the war, a surge of post-war patriotism inspired American to pursue national goals
  • The arbitration clauses in the Treaty of Ghent that ended the war established methods for dealing with outstanding disagreements that could be adapted to changes in both American and British governments, sowing the seeds of the lasting Anglo-American comity
  • U.S. victory in the concurrent Creek War opened a large part of the American south for settlement, leading to events that persuaded Spain to cede Florida to the U.S. in 1821

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