Andrew Jackson

• A self-made man, climbing from poverty to become a Southern planter aristocrat

• Military campaign against the Creek Native Americans

• His role in the Battle of New Orleans brought him national fame

• Elected President in 1828

• During the Age of Jackson, he implemented the veto + Native American removal

War of 1812

• 1812-1814

• James Madison + Congress declared war

• British attacked with 3 major campaigns, but the Americans fought back on all of them

• Destroyed buildings in Washington, DC

• The Treaty of Ghent ended the war with a draw

Embargo Act

• 1807

• Jefferson and Congress implemented the act to cut off trade with ALL foreign nations

• Angered New England Federalists + Yankee traders

Non-Intercourse Act

• 1809

• Opened trade with foreign countries EXCEPT Britain + France

Macon’s Bill No. 2

• 1810

• If Britain or France agreed to stop raiding American shipping vessels, the US would reopen trade

• When Napoleon stopped attacking American vessels, Madison reopened trade with France

  • Angered Britain

War Hawks

• Western settlers favored war with Britain

• Believed impressment violated American sovereignty + dignity

• Led by Henry Clay

• Determined to fight for American rights

• Led Congress to declare war

The Battle of Tippecanoe

• Tecumseh + the Prophet formed a confederacy of Native Americans to stop white migration by using violence against the settlers

• In the end, William Henry Harrison (an American general) was victorious

Impressment

• Britain kidnapped American men + drafted them into British navy

• Resulted in mistaken identities of whether men were British or American

• Violated sovereignty of US

Battle of the Thames

• Clashes along Great Lakes

• William Henry Harrison + Oliver Hazard Perry moved troops into Canada

• 1813 - The death of Tecumseh ended the confederacy of Native Americans

Chesapeake Affair

• HMS Leopard captured the Chesapeake

  • Demanded 4 British deserters

  • When the American captain refused, the ship opened fire + took sailors by force

Thomas MacDonough

• When Britain invaded US through Lake Champlain, they threatened NYC + New England

• MacDonough utilized a cleverly positioned fleet + clear-headed thinking

• After the British surrendered, the US took their supplies

USS Constitution

• Launched in 1797

• Symbolic protector of Constitution

• Captured 4 British frigates (warships)

• Nicknamed “Old Ironsides” because its sides were made of iron

Francis Scott Key

• Captured during Battle of Fort McHenry

• Witnessed British invasion through Chesapeake Bay + Baltimore

• 1814 - Composed the Star-Spangled Banner

Battle of New Orleans

• 1815

• The Americans didn’t know Treaty of Ghent was signed, which ended the war

• 2,000 British soldiers killed by American fire

• Made Jackson nationally famous

Hartford Convention

• Federalists discussing their grievances

• Talked about secession + proposals to send to DC

• After DC was burned + the Federalists heard about Jackson’s victory, the Federalist Party’s power ended because they opposed a war that was already won

Irish Potato Famine

• 1845 - Blight destroyed potato crop in Ireland

• High numbers of Irish immigrated to the US and worked for low factory wages in eastern cities like New York

Canal Mania

• Transportation revolution

• 1817-1825 - Constructed Erie Canal

• Canals were able to transfer large cargoes + allow people to migrate West + ship grain East

• Mike Fink was a flatboat man + folk hero

New York City

• With the construction of the Erie Canal, NYC became a transit point with oceangoing goods, people, grain, and cotton

• Boasted diversity + wealth + a growing population

Samuel Slater

• 1789 - Secretly migrated to US

• 1790 - Invented the 1st American textile mill

• Slaves were needed to operate the machines making cotton fabric

• Efficient production led to high restriction of slaves’ rights

Eli Whitney

• 1793 - Invented cotton gin

  • Boasted interchangeable parts, which made it highly efficient

• Basis for modern mass production

Railroads

• Shrunk the huge space of the US by making transportation easier

• Was able to carry heavy loads + ship goods quickly, benefiting the economy

• 1st big business

Samuel F.B. Morse

• 1835 - Invented the telegraph + Morse code

• Resulted in the communication revolution + different time zones

• Electromagnetism allowed people to send messages over a single continuous wire

John Jacob Astor

• Was a German immigrant that smoothly transitioned to American society

• Lived frugally, worked diligently, looked for good investments

• 1811 - Started a fur trading post at the mouth of Columbia River

• Became very rich

American Indian Removal

• Ignored past Native American treaties

• 1830 - Indian Removal Act

• Cherokee + Creek + Chickasaw + Choctaw + Seminole tribes forced to settle in Oklahoma

• Trail of Tears

• 1890 - Placed ALL Native Americans on reservations

BIG PICTURE

• Conflict over trade + encroachment on US → War of 1812

• War of 1812 - US’s lack of preparedness + unity

• Immigration - Irish + Germans filling eastern cities (preparation for Industrial Revolution)

• Transportation + communication revolutions

• Economic growth + westward settlement → Higher living standard + fortunes