The War of 1812
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Little Mates, Ahoy! - Week Three The War of 1812 Section One: A Cause for Conflict The War of 1812 INTRODUCTION: In 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain - this was the first time in our nation’s history that war was declared on another country! The War of 1812 can be seen as an offshoot of the Napoleonic Wars. In Europe, Great Britain was fighting a war with Napoleon Bonaparte (ruler of the French Empire). France was extremely powerful; as was Britain. Our enemy, the British has the most powerful navy in the world - they were the “masters of the seas”. When the British began running out of sailors, in the years be- fore the War of 1812, they began stopping American ships looking for deserters. This was called “impressment” and it upset Americans across the country. To make things worse, the British were sending Native Americans weapons and trad- ing with them for a very long time. Americans wanted to build and expand and take over land further west but it was made more difficult by the fact that the British were trading with the natives. To help the Native Americans and kidnap American sailors made our country very an- gry. On June 18th, 1812 US Congress officially declared war on Great Britain. The War was fought for two and a half years with no clear winner. For this week, we are going to look at the War of 1812; using artifacts from our collection, battle plans, art and poems. Check out the war’s timeline on the next page to learn more! Date Battle or Event Victor 1807 June HMS Leopard attacks USS Chesapeake UK 1811 May USS President attacks HMS Little Belt US 1811 Nov Battle of Tippecanoe (US forces versus Native Warriors) US War debate begins in US Congress ~ 1812 1812 18 June US Declares War on Great Britain ~ 12 July Gen. Hull invades Upper Canada at Sandwich (Detroit River) US 17 July Ft. Mackinac (Lake Huron) falls to British UK 11 Aug Hull’s forces retreat from Canada UK 15 Aug Ft. Dearborn (Chicago) abandoned, destroyed by Native Warriors UK 16 Aug Detroit falls to forces under Gen. Brock & Tecumseh UK 12-13 Oct Battle of Queenston Heights (Niagara); Gen. Brock killed UK 1813 1813 Jan-Feb Royal Navy blockades Chesapeake Bay, Delaware River UK 22 Jan Battle of Frenchtown (River Raisin) UK 27 April US attack on York (Toronto) Gen. Pike is Killed in Action US 28 April-10 May 1st siege of Ft. Meigs (Maumee River, Ohio) US 25-27 May Battle of Ft. George (Niagara) US 29 May British attempt and fail to destroy USN base at Sackets Harbor US 6 June Battle of Stoney Creek UK 21-28 July 2nd siege of Ft. Meigs US 2 Aug British Attack on Ft. Stephenson (Sandusky River, Ohio) repulsed US 10 Sept Battle of Lake Erie US 5 Oct Battle of the Thames (Moraviantown), death of Tecumseh US 26 Oct Battle of Chateauguay UK 11 Nov Battle of Crysler’s Farm UK 10-11 Dec US abandon Ft. George, burn Niagara & Queenston UK 19 Dec British Capture of Fort Niagara UK 29-30 Dec British Raid Niagara Frontier - Burn Lewiston, Black Rock, Buffalo UK 1814 1814 Spring-Summer Royal Navy blockade of Atlantic coast tightened UK May Napoleon abdicates; British resources freed for American War ~ 5-6 May British Raid on Oswego, NY UK 14-15 May US Raid on Port Dover, other villages US 3 July US captures Fort Erie US 5 July Battle of Chippewa US 25 July Battle of Lundy’s Lane UK August Peace negotiations begin at Ghent, Belgium ~ 4-5 Aug US British Attack on Fort Mackinac repulsed UK 14-15 Aug British Attack on Fort Erie repulsed US 22-24 Aug Battle of Bladensburg, occupation of Washington, DC UK 11 Sept Battle of Lake Champlain (Plattsburg) US 12 – 14 Sept Battle of North Point / Bombardment of Fort McHenry US 5 Nov US forces blow up Ft. Erie, evacuate Niagara Peninsula 24 Dec Treaty of Ghent signed ending the War of 1812 ~ 27 Dec British ratify Treaty of Ghent 1815 1815 8 Jan Battle of New Orleans US 17 Feb US ratifies Treaty of Ghent – War Officially Ends ~ Dear Diary People react to news in different ways. Think about how you or your parents/guardians react to stuff in the news today. For this activity, we will look at the causes of the War of 1812 through the eyes of someone who would have lived through it. Make a diary expressing your thoughts via a character you create below. Have fun! To start, pick one of these profiles to help in telling the story: • A White American farmer in Western Massachusetts • A Free Black Merchant Sailor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • An Enslaved Black Plantation Hand in South Carolina • A Canadian Trapper in the Province of Quebec • A Native American in modern-day Michigan • A Scottish Sailor in the Royal Navy Now, you will create a diary based on the profile you chose above. This diary will look at events prior to the War of 1812. To help you in creating this diary, come up with a profile for them. Be sure to include the following information: • Name • Age • Education Level - Can you read or write? Now that we have our characters, look up 3 of the following events and write down how you believe YOUR CHARACTERS would react to them. The Napoleonic Wars in Europe The British Issuing the Orders-In-Council The British begin Impressing American Sailors in 1803 4. James Madison becomes President of the United States 5. The Battle of Tippecanoe Declaring War! Think about the events leading up to war with Great Britain. Here, you will be playing the role of an American politician. Gather your friends and family and have every one select one of the following roles: President, Secretary of War, Senator(s), or Representative(s). Once everyone has had a chance to read off their section, hold a vote to see whether or not YOU would declare war on Great Britain! President of the United States: ___________________________ The President will read off the “grievances” or reasons for war: 1. The Royal Navy has been kidnapping sailors off of our ships, looking for deserters to the crown! The Chesapeake-Leopard affair is an insult to our nation’s pride and identity! 2. The British “Orders-In-Council” have been interfering with our shipping lanes and hurting our economy! 3. Native Americans on the frontier have been funded and supplied by the Crown. We cannot stand for this. Secretary of War: ______________________________________ Our military is less than prepared. Here is how we stack up with the British: Declaring War! Now that we know the facts, its up to you to decide how you would vote. Gather your friends and/or family and decide whether or not YOU would vote to declare war on Great Britain. NAMES OF PARTICIPANTS: YAY NAY TOTAL The vote was, and still is the most contested vote for/against war in American history. This was also the first time a Congress declared war in our nation’s history. In the House of Representatives, the vote was 79-49 and in the Senate, 19-13. About 4 in every 10 members of Congress voted against this war! Our museum visitors typically vote 90% FOR war. How did your group choose? Famous Faces Here, you will look at some of the faces of the War of 1812. Look up the following people and read about them. Based on what you read, determine what side of the war they supported: the American or British cause. Circle your answer in the boxes on the next page! Robert Ross Tecumseh William Henry Harrison George Prevost William Hull Francis Scott Key Isaac Hull Dolley Madison Isaac Brock Oliver Hazard Perry Edward Packenham Laura Secord Andrew Jackson Charles de Salaberry James Madison Jean Lafitte Famous Faces Robert Ross Tecumseh William Henry Harrison George Prevost American American American American British British British British William Hull Francis Scott Key Isaac Hull Dolley Madison American American American American British British British British Isaac Brock Oliver Hazard Perry Edward Packenham Laura Secord American American American American British British British British Andrew Jackson Charles de Salaberry James Madison Jean Lafitte American American American American British British British British Little Mates, Ahoy! - Week Three The War of 1812 Section Two: The War Mapping the War This activity will teach you about the geography and events of the War of 1812! On the following page, you will find a map of the United States and Lower Canada. This map will be mostly blank - simply showing borders of the United States and Canada. To complete this activity, do the following: • Create a LEGEND or KEY and place it on your map. • Look up the following 20 battles and events. • Write up the following info on a separate sheet of paper: When did the event take place? Who won? What happened? • Create a symbol for battles and events - make symbols that will show British or American victories. (For the blockade, simply draw the line on the map). • Once finished, feel free to share your map with us! Battle of British Battle of Battle of Lake Battle of New Queenstown Blockade Beaver Dams Erie Orleans Heights Battle of Battle of Battle of Battle of Capture of Tippecanoe Lundy’s Lane Frenchtown Thames Fort Niagara Capture of Battle of Battle of Battle of Battle of York Fort Detroit Stoney Creek Chateauguay Washington Capture of Battle of Capture of Battle of Battle of Chrysler’s Chippewa Fort George Baltimore Plattsburgh Farm Capture of Battle of Siege of Fort Battle of Battle of Fort the USS Bladensburg Meigs Ogdensburg Mackinac Chesapeake Mapping the War Legend Tactics of the War Army Tactics: Battles of the era used a warfare technique named Napoleonic Warfare.