War of 1812; Monroe & JQA; Jackson (NA Removal)

4 Perspectives of the War

• British

• American

• Canadians

• Native Americans

British Causes 

felt it had the right to regulate trade during wartime and defend its empire from American invasions

American Causes

• Embargo Act

• Impressment of American sailors

• British support of natives in Ohio Valley

• US expansion into Canada & Florida

Canadian Causes

• American aggression into Canada

• Defense of homeland between British Canadians and French Canadians

Native American Causes

• Land loss: Ongoing U.S. expansion into the Ohio Valley and the Old Northwest.

• British alliance

Was US fully prepared?

US was not fully prepared for war and suffered setbacks early on.

Battle of Lake Erie (1813)

Commodore Perry won a crucial naval victory, giving the US control of Lake Erie

Death of Tecumseh (1813)

The powerful Shawnee leader allied with the British was killed at the Battle of the Thames, led by William Henry Harrison weakening Native resistance

• curse later on…

The Burning of Washington D.C.

• British troops attacked Washington, D.C., with the orders to destroy everything in the path up to the Capitol. 

• Executive Mansion, House of Representatives, Senate, Library of Congress, Treasury were destroyed.

• First Lady Dolley Madison barely escaped the Executive Mansion, carrying a full portrait of George Washington with her. 

Battle of Baltimore

• five-thousand man British army marched toward Baltimore 

• At Fort McHenry, Major George Armistead led Americans against the British Royal Navy on September 13, 1814. 

• US held its ground, forcing the British fleet to withdraw. An American flag flew over the fort the next day, signaling victory for the United States and the inspiration for Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner.

Treaty of Ghent

• December 24, 1814

• Things are pretty much the same from the Treaty of Paris 1783

  • British promised to return all impressed sailors and captured slaves and the Americans promised to respect Native territory in present day Ohio and Michigan. 

  • Everyone felt like they won…except for the Native Americans.

Battle of New Orleans

• January 8, 1815, General Edward Pakenham led British forces against Andrew Jackson’s American forces and lost

• battle proved inconsequential since the war had already ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent two weeks earlier. The news had not yet reached New Orleans by the time of the battle. 

Results of the War of 1812

•  British agreed to respect the borders of the United States 

•  British agreed to stay out of the Northwest Territory

• When Americans stopped trading with Great Britain, they were forced to manufacture their own goods which made them more self-reliant (wooo market revolution!)

•  Americans gained a sense of pride from their victories (nationalism)

•  After the British defeated the French, both countries became friendly again and resumed trade with the United States

• Federalists, calling the war “Mr. Madison’s War” held the Hartford Convention in 1814 to change the Constitution and threatened secession 

  • Feds are seen as disloyal and the party crumbles into history…

• U.S. enters the so-called “Era of Good Feelings”

Era of Good Feelings

• America won the War of 1812!  (Actually, we didn’t, but we didn't lose either!)

• James Monroe wins election of 1816 in a LANDSLIDE victory!

• Second Bank of the US 1816

  • 20 year charter

Henry Freaking Clay’s American System

1. 1816 Tariff to protect American manufacturers 

   • Popular in North

   • Not popular in South

2. Public works in infrastructure (roads, canals, & soon railroads, etc.)

3. National Bank

Tariff

• cost of cloth + 

• cost to manufacture product +

• shipping costs +

• tariff = 

• total

Monroe Presidency Highlights

• 2 terms

• Seminole Wars (Andrew Jackson…back again...)

  • eventually lead to US gain of FL

• Missouri Compromise of 1820

  • 11 free states, 11 slaves…what to do with Missouri?!

  • Henry Freaking Clay on the case!

  • Add Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state

  • in the future, no slavery above 36 degrees latitude

• MARKET REVOLUTION: economy is a national, linked, industrial economy thanks to the transportation revolution

Monroe Doctrine

• Developed by SoS JQA

• Hands off, No new land, Mind your own business.

• Part 1 – No Touching: Europe can’t mess with the Americas’ existing countries.

  • 👉 “Hands off what’s already ours.”

• Part 2 – No New Friends: Europe can’t make new colonies here.

  • 👉 “No new land, no new claims.”

• Part 3 – You stay there, we stay here: U.S. won’t get in Europe’s business if they don’t get in ours.

  • 👉 “You mind Europe, we mind America.”

Election of 1824

• ALL candidates are Democratic Republicans

• John Quincy Adams (N/E)   

• Henry Clay (W)

• Andrew Jackson (S/W)

• William Crawford (S)

• Not separated by party, but by sectional beliefs!

Election of 1824

• Decided by the House of Reps due to the tie in Electoral College

• Clay (SoH) threw his support behind Adams

  • Adams wins the House vote and becomes president #6

  • Clay becomes Secretary of State

  • Jackson: CORRUPT BARGAIN!!!!!

JQA Presidency Highlights

• more infrastructure!

  • C & O Canal

• further development/funding of arts and sciences

• skinny dipping in the Potomac…

• 1 term…Andrew Jackson was ready for revenge!

Status of Native Americans during the Age of Jackson

• 100,000 Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek living East of the Mississippi

  • Cherokee “Americanized”: wrote and spoke English, peaceful with settlers, Christian religion, government based on Constitution

  • Seminoles

    • Included Creeks that moved to Florida, escaped slaves, Florida natives

• Lived on fertile land…land that farmers wanted

  • Some states begin to force natives off their land

Indian Removal Act-1830

• Jackson pushes Congress to force Natives to move west of the Mississippi

• Congress established Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) as their new homeland

Worcester v. Georgia-1832

• Supreme Court (under John Marshall) said GA laws have NO force within Cherokee territory

  • Recognizes Native American sovereignty 

  • Cannot move Natives

• Jackson’s response:

  • "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!“

  • Ordered the Cherokees to move

Cherokee Removal

• Held out longer than other groups

  • Jackson leaves presidency in 1837 and Cherokee still on their lands

• 1838: next president Martin Van Buren orders the forced removal of the Cherokee

“Trail Where They Cried”

• Winter 1838-1839…800 mile march of the 15,000 Cherokees to the Indian Territory, guarded by 7,000 soldiers

• Homes they left behind burned to the ground

• Were not given enough tents, blankets, food, or shoes

• ~4,000 died along the way (25%...many women and children)