FS: the Strange War of 1812

Video: The Strange War of 1812

The War of 1812 had a peculiar beginning and an even more peculiar ending. At the end of the video, explain why statement number 1 on this worksheet is true.

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CAUSES OF THE WAR OF 1812: The Napoleonic Wars and British Violation of America’s Neutral Rights

1. In the early 1800s when Thomas Jefferson was president, Britain and France fought one another in a series of wars known as the ______Wars. 2. The United States had carried on trade with both countries, and many American ______and ______relied on foreign trade to make a living.

3. Now, American ships were seized by both the ______and the ______. 4. Also, the British Navy captured American sailors and forced them to serve on ______. (impressment) 5. The event that most upset the Americans occurred off the coast of Virginia in 1807. A British warship opened fired on the ______, killing three men.

JEFFERSON’S RESPONSE – TRY TO AVOID WAR 6. Many Americans wanted to go to war immediately. Instead, Jefferson persuaded Congress to pass the ______in 1807. This law forbade any American ship from sailing to any ______port. 7. Jefferson hoped England and France would realize they needed American ______. 8. The Embargo Act backfired. It crippled ______, farms and ______of the United States. Thousands came close to starvation. 9. Three days before turning the presidency over to ______in 1809, Jefferson repealed the ______.

PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON AND NAPOLEON BONAPARTE OF FRANCE 10. Under Madison, Congress passed a law allowing the President to reopen trade with ______and______. Then, if either country stopped seizing American ships, the United States would stop all ______with the other country.

11. ______said France would stop seizing ships, and then he secretly ordered his navy to keep on seizing them. 12. Madison then cut off all trade with ______. He later learned he had been fooled, but relations between the U.S. and England were in a sorry state.

NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER AND THE BRITISH IN CANADA 13. The ______between the U.S. and England got much worse when Indians began forming a ______under the Shawnee chief Tecumseh. Many Americans feared this confederation and the ______in Canada would take over the Old Northwest Territory. 14. Americans said U.S. should end the confederation and invade ______to drive out the British. 15. Many people in the U.S. wanted the land of Canada because of its rich ______country, profitable ______trade and endless supply of ______. 16. Certain congressmen were called ______because they argued loudly for war. Their reason was, “Free Trade and Sailors’ Right….”

WAR IS DECLARED – WAR OF 1812 17. The War Hawks got the upper hand in Congress, and on June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on ______. 18. Two days earlier, Britain had announced that she would stop interfering with ______, doing away with the major cause for fighting. 19. In America, the ______states were totally opposed to a war. Some even supported the enemy by ______goods to England. 20. By the middle of August, the American ______seemed in danger of falling to the British. 21. All attempts in 1812 to invade ______ended in disaster. 22. The American Navy had only ______ships. The British Navy numbered ______ships.

ATTACK ON BALTIMORE, MD, AND WASHINGTON, DC 23. One attack by the British was launched in August, 1814, against the U.S. ______. 24. The British set fire to the ______, the Capitol building, and other government buildings. Dolley Madison saved Washington’s portrait and many furnishings. 25. These fires were set in ______for fires Americans had set in Canada. 26. After burning Washington, DC, the British fleet attacked Fort ______near Baltimore. 27. This bombardment continued throughout the night, but at ______the Americans were still fighting. 28. Seeing the flag still waving, a young lawyer, Francis Scott Key, composed a poem entitled, “______-______.”

THE END OF THE WAR OF 1812 29. Several battles later, though the British greatly ______the Americans, they were forced to withdraw back to Canada. 30. The War of 1812 seesawed between ______victories and American victories. The ______became too high in terms of men and ______. 31. On Christmas Eve, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed. It said neither side ______or ______the war. 32. Two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, the largest battle of the war was fought. It was the ______of ______. EFFECTS OF THE WAR OF 1812 33. The Americans won the Battle of New Orleans, but the battle didn’t change anything. It did produce an American hero, ______, a man who would later become one of the most influential presidents of the country. It also showed that America would defend her rights.