Americans. Name It was clear that the United States and Britain could not avoid a war. Britain was still forcing American men to work on their ships. Britain did not want Americans to trade with France. Britain was also Causes of the War of 1812 blockading some of America's ports. In 1811, there was a short battle between American and British ships. Thirty-two British soldiers were By Cathy Pearl killed in the fight. After the United States won its freedom from Britain, the country People in America told Congress to get ready to go to war. Other grew quickly. Trade to other countries also began to grow. Ships people did not agree with that. A war would not be easy to win. would leave the United States to trade. Sometimes they wouldn't People in New England were also very worried. They thought that come back for many years. Britain would attack their ports. The American ships faced many problems when they were sailing. In the end, President Madison could not fight all of the people that Britain and France had gone to war again in 1803. America said that it wanted to go to war. In June of 1812, he asked Congress to declare was neutral, meaning that it wouldn't help either side. During the war, war on Britain. The House of Representatives and the Senate both British and French ships were too busy to trade. The American ships voted to go to war. This would be the United States' second war with took advantage of this and traded with both sides. They made a lot of Britain in less than fifty years. money and worked hard to build more ships. Many Americans were very happy with the idea of fighting the war Britain and France weren't happy that the Americans were helping with Britain. They thought that Britain still treated the United States their enemies. The two sides ignored the United States when it said it like one of its colonies. It was time to show them that the United was neutral. France and Britain began to attack the American ships. States was a strong country. Soon, hundreds of ships had been captured. Others were not as happy. The people who lived in New England Men that were on the ships were also forced to help either Britain or were the unhappiest. They were afraid for their ports. They were also France. Many of these men were American citizens. People in the afraid the United States would lose. United States were very angry. They began to call for the United States to go to war. This war would not be easy for the United States to win. The country did not have a strong Navy. The War of 1812 would not last long. President Thomas Jefferson was afraid the United States could not Time would tell how it would affect this new nation. win a war. He decided to try an embargo. An embargo is a ban on foreign trade. Americans could no longer trade with any other country. It did hurt Britain and France. But it hurt Americans more. Smugglers began to sneak goods out of the country. Soon, Jefferson said the embargo was a failure. He let Americans begin to trade with other countries except for Britain and France. After Jefferson completed his second term of presidency, James Madison became president. He hoped the crisis was over. During this time, Americans were also fighting in the west. Native Americans were fighting against white settlers who were moving toward the west. This fighting also angered Britain. Britain gave the Native Americans guns. They wanted them to fight back against the 6. What happened in 1811? Name Causes of the War of 1812 Questions 1. What two nations were fighting a war that America did not want to be a part of? Who do you think has a better chance of winning the war? Why? A. France and Spain B. Britain and France C. United States and Britain 2. What is a ban on foreign trade called? A. Blockade B. Crisis C. Embargo 3. Why were people in New England worried about a war? A. They didn't want Britain to ruin their ships. B. They didn't want to send men to fight in it. C. They thought Britain might attack their ports. 4. Who became president after Thomas Jefferson? A. George Bush B. James Madison C. George Washington 5. The United States said it was neutral in the war between Britain and France. What does neutral mean? Name Do you think the United States should have gone to war with Britain? Why or why not?.