Lesson 12 social studies

  • What did Washington say about foreign policy in his Farewell Address?

  • Understand the foreign policy dilemmas faced by Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. What was the problem and how was it solved?

  • War of 1812 - Understand the causes, key events, and results.

Washington stated how he wanted neutrality in foreign affairs in his Farewell Address. He didn’t want to be involved with other countries and their affairs.

Adams wanted to follow in Washington’s footsteps, keeping the nation in a state of neutrality. He signed the Jay Treaty with Britain, but France viewed that as a violation and/or threat to their alliance. This started the XYZ Affair. Adams wanted peace, even though it hurt him politically. He wanted to protect the nation, even if it meant harm to his political party.

American ships were being impressed and were experiencing piracy by both France and Britain. Jefferson paid lots of tribute to others, but Barbary States kept demanding more tribute. To solve this, Jefferson proposed the Embargo Act (an embargo is a government order to stop trade with other countries). Because no goods were being imported, Congress decided to repeal the Embargo Act.

Madison told France and Britain that if they stopped impressing American ships, then the US will stop trading with their enemy. France responded peacefully to this offer, while Britain kept impressing American sailors. To keep America safe, Madison declared war on Britain. This was a cause of the War of 1812. Another cause to the War of 1812 was the Native Americans taking over American land.

Monroe experienced lots of colonists from other countries entering US. Many Americans supported the colonization of Latin America, but they didn’t want other countries to take over Latin America. Because of this, he announced the Monroe Doctrine; American citizens saw this as standing up to European colonization. This doctrine was a symbol of strength and confidence, which made the nation more independent.

Causes, key events, and effects of War of 1812

Causes: Impressment of American sailors; Shawnee warriors taking over land

Key events: Impressment of American sailors, burning of important political buildings, battle of Fort McHenry, battle of New Orleans, Treaty of Ghent

Effects: both America and Britain claimed victory, but the Treaty of Ghent never settled that; national pride surged, Federalist party severely damaged and never recovered

PUT THESE IN FLASHCARDS:

What were the causes of the War of 1812?

  • impressment of American sailors

  • Native Americans taking over land

Key events of the War of 1812

  1. Impressment of American Sailors: British forces forcibly recruited American sailors into their navy, causing rising tensions between the United States and Britain.

  2. The Burning of Washington (1814): British troops captured and burned key buildings in Washington D.C., including the White House and the Capitol.

  3. Battle of Fort McHenry (1814): The defense of Baltimore against British naval bombardment; inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

  4. Battle of New Orleans (1815): Occurred after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, resulting in a significant American victory led by Andrew Jackson, boosting national pride.

  5. Treaty of Ghent (1814): Formally ended the war but did not address impressment issues or territorial disputes, leading both sides to claim victory in the conflict.

Effects/results of the war of 1812

  • both America and Britain claimed victory, but Treaty of Ghent never really settled that

  • national pride surged

  • Federalist party badly damaged and never recovered

  • Native Americans’ resistance to expand went down