Transcript The War of 1812

• The Napoleonic Wars were raging on the
European continent and around the globe.
• America tried to remain neutral, but hopelessly
became embroiled in the war—economically,
politically, and eventually militarily.
• Because the British were the most powerful
bullies on the open seas, they reserved the right
to board American ships looking for deserters.
• This created such incidents as the Diana and
the Topaz and the Caravan—
• President Jefferson dealt with this by imposing
a trade embargo against Britain—however, it
almost destroyed the American economy and
did not alleviate the British “Impressment
Gangs.”
• This also allowed the federalist to regain some
power allied with the Western Republican ‘War
hawks.’
• Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun desired a war
with Britain to make them realize we were a
serious country.
• Henry Clay was westerner
from Kentucky;
• He had nothing but disdain
for the British abroad and
called them meddlesome
domestically;
• He also attacked the
corporate privilege at
home—he also thought that
a good notion was to invade
Canada—force the British
to negotiate or lose Canada
outright
• He was a ‘War Hawk!’
• John C. Calhoun was a
South Carolinian—from
what was called the
backcountry, but later
became the Midlands.
• Secretary of War for Pres.
James Madison.
• He too hated the British and
preferred war rather than
capitulation or timid
treaties—as the Jay Treaty
• He, too, was a ‘War Hawk.’
• President James Madison
preferred diplomacy.
Madison was Jefferson’s
hand picked successor to the
Presidency.
• The Federalist opposed
diplomacy because America
always got the short end of
the stick with Britain.
• Unfortunately the British
undid all his efforts—most
notably with the secret
intrigue and the Hartford
Convention
• Many of the New England industrialist and shipping magnates
were suffering greatly because of the bellicosity between
America and Britain—mainly in trade and commerce.
• The British Governor of Canada Sir James Craig shared
correspondence with an Irish-born New Yorker John Henry.
• Because of the unrest and dissension between New England the
Republican administration, offered to recognize New England
as a separate political entity—detach itself from the United
States and became part of British Canada—many frustrated
New Englanders threatened secession if Madison did not stop
all bellicosity with Great Britain—these letters were
disseminated to the public mostly the War Hawk congress.
• In all fairness to the New Englanders, no one
truly considered joining Canada; however, the
threat of secession appeared very real.
• It made the Federalist look petty and
conspiratorial.
• Because of the apparent cabal, the ‘War Hawk’
westerners forced Pres. Madison to declare war
on Great Britain—they were still pillaging
American ships at sea—and worse, they were
stirring the Indians to revolt on the western
frontiers.
• The U.S. was woefully prepared to go to war.
Jefferson’s parsimonious financial attitude had
whittled the Army down to around 7500 men
scattered and woefully supplied for war.
• Jefferson had whittled the federal budget to
level unsustainable to prosecute a war.
• Jefferson had also whittled the navy down to
16 ships—all Frigates and Sloops—not one
Ship of the Line. It was an humiliating war for
America.
• As far as Military results, General William Hull
surrendered Detroit;
• General Stephen Van Renssalaer invaded
Canada, but because of dissension between
Regular Army and State Militia hierarchy—he
was forced to retreat—after a small victory;
• General William Henry Harrison’s ex[edition to
re-secure Fort Detroit met with massacre at the
Raisin River, buy a combined force of British
regulars, Indians and Canadian Militia.
• One of the few land victories turned into a
black eye for the Americans; they invaded
upper Canada captured York, but then went
wild and burned the town and did not
distinguish between ally or foe.
• Actual American Victories were actually Naval
battles—as a squadron not much success, but
as individuals the Navy did fairly well—
especially on Lake Erie. Commodore Oliver
Hazard Perry defeated a British flotilla—”We
have met the enemy and they are ours …”
• Perry’s success on Lake Erie and the other Great
lakes, he forced the British to evacuate Detroit.
• Tecumseh had encouraged the British to join forces
with him and his brother the ‘Prophet’ to fight the
Americans and win back all the western lands they
felt they had been cheated out of over the years.
• Tecumseh had accumulated an alliance with other
tribes to forgo the Whiteman’s ways, return to their
native culture and ways—stop drinking etc …
• Once returned to the Old Ways the Great Spirit
would reward them with victory.
• Though the Indians
created issues for the
Americans, they
defeated a combined
force of Indians and
British at the Battle of
the Thames in Ohio;
• They killed Tecumseh
and used strips of his leg
muscles for razor straps
and souvenirs.
• "No tribe has the right to sell, even to each other,
much less to strangers.... Sell a country! Why not sell
the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Didn't the
Great Spirit make them all for the use of his
children?
• The way, the only way to stop this evil is for the red
man to unite in claiming a common and equal right
in the land, as it was first, and should be now, for it
was never divided."
• We gave them forest-clad mountains and valleys full
of game, and in return what did they give our
warriors and our women? Rum, trinkets, and a
grave.
• Brothers -- My people wish for peace; the red men all
wish for peace;but where the white people are, there
is no peace for them, except it be on the bosom of
our mother. Where today are the Pequot?
• Where today are the Narrangansett, the Mohican,
the Pakanoket, and many other once powerful tribes
of our people?
• They have vanished before the avarice and the
oppression of the White Man, as snow before a
summer sun."
• It is better to die as men than to live slaves.
• In retribution for the Naval
victories and Gen Jacob
Brown’s victory in Canada,
the British launched a
counter invasion in 1814.
• Admiral Cockburn raided
the American coast and
burned Washington;
• Gen Prevost invaded New
York—stopped at
Plattsburg, but did much
damage.
• The British, however,
were stopped at
Baltimore, Md.
• They tried to bomb Fort
McHenry into
submission therefore
controlling all the
Chesapeake and
Washington;
• Here a Lawyer Francis
Scott Key wrote the now
famous National
Anthem
• The American Navy though
small and very much
outnumbered gave a good
accounting of itself;
• The USS Constitution, The
USS United States and the
USS Essex all scored several
victories against much
bigger Ships of the Line.
• Even the British admiralty
acknowledged the
seamanship and Naval savvy
of the Americans …
• The War of 1812 is a
comedy of errors with
some success mixed in;
• However, a personage
emerges from all this
chaos with a stellar
reputation;
• It is true that William
Henry Harrison will also
emerge successful and
become President of the
United States—But one
man exceeds all others.
• Andrew Jackson was a South Carolinian who
had early moved to the Tennessee territory,
became a Lawyer, Judge, and General in the
State Militia. (much about him later)
• The Red Sticks (called this because Tecumseh had given
allied tribes red sticks to prove they were part of the
movement to destroy the white man and his ways) began
killing settlers on the frontier—the Georgia,
Alabama and Florida border—without out
diplomatic concern for the Spanish or the
British, Jackson defeated the red Sticks at
Horse Shoe Bend, invaded Florida and hung
two British agitators.
• Jackson forced the Red
Stick coalition to cede
22 million acres of land;
• Upon hearing of the
British threat to New
Orleans Jackson forced
marched his Tennessee
militia to New Orleans;
• There he defeated Gen
Pakenham’s British
Army—the same Army
that had just defeated
Napoleon at Waterloo
• Because of the European War the British were
strapped for cash and inflation was running
away.
• Simply they were tired of war; The Americans
also were tired of war—they had no money
and the war loans were piling up;
• Upon hearing the British might want to sue for
terms, Madison sent Sec of State James
Monroe and Henry Clay to Ghent Belgium—
the British opened direct negotiations and
what we got was the Treaty of Ghent.
• The Treaty of Ghent effectually ended the war;
however, the effects of the treaty would be felt for
another 40yrs.
• As with the Revolution many Blacks fled their
masters and sought refuge with the British; again the
British offered promises of freedom if Blacks would
abscond;
• Again the British failed to live up to their promises;
Blacks were sold into West Indian slavery, or after
the war returned to their former masters; because of
the mutual property clause in the Treaty of Ghent
• It was at the battle of New
Orleans that many Blacks
assumed because of
Jackson’s actions that they
would be afforded liberty in
service to their country;
• Jackson claimed it was
nonsensical that America
would not use Blacks to
bolster the ranks of the
army;
• He promised them equal
treatment and equal bounty
if they served and defended
New Orleans; they fought
bravely and was praised by
Jackson.
• Though the War of 1812 did very little on the
grand scheme, it did offer some insights that
would plague America:
• 1) Pres. Madison realized The U.S. truly
needed a Federal Bank—depending on private
loans was inefficient;
• 2) America needed a better transportation
system if it was to move commodities, Military
and Commerce efficiently from the western
frontier to the eastern markets;
• 3) The issue of Slavery between North and
South was becoming more than an annoyance.
• American began a coastal Fort building
program and an internal infrastructure system
such as Roads, Canals, Turnpikes and better
waterways;
• The Erie Canal was the largest success, but
soon it was apparent that Railroads were the
wave of the future;
• Once again the issue was how and who was to
pay for this “American System” labeled by
Henry Clay.
• Though there was dissension, James Monroe
succeeded Madison as President and ushered in the
“Era Of Good Feelings.” Many Americans were
becoming more independent and entrepreneurial;
Songs and anthems were signifying America’s attitude
of becoming truly independent from Great Britain.
• Steam powered River boats such as the Clermont by
Robert Fulton and railroads were booming, though
the agrarian sector did not reap much of the reward
from the industrial North—there were benefits and
many Americans usually obstructed from capitalist
advancement were now more open to advancement.
• Still mostly Rural, the Urban centers and
population were exploding, mostly due to
immigration.
• The population was growing exponentially
every ten years;
• Many western settlers were not going to settle
farm land or explore, but rather to begin cities
and urban centers in the interior—such as
Moses Cleveland, Cincinnati and Chicago.
• But for every Economic Boom, there is an
economic Bust; The Panic of 1819 gave
American a taste of capitalist ventures in a
market global economy;
• The British collapse of the cotton pricing index
began a huge panic; Banks could not produce
coin or specie, but could issue bank notes—it
created a terrible inflationary rate;
• Banks closed and western speculators and
southern cotton farmers suffered the most.
• This Panic and Economic depression allowed
the prominence of Andrew Jackson.
• He believed it was the bank of the U.S. calling
in its short term loans that created the panic;
therefore he pledged to destroy the bank.
• He came to prominence advocating universal
white male suffrage and a government returned
to the people; it would also began a running
war between the Bank President Nicolas Biddle,
Chief Justice John Marshall, and Andrew
Jackson.
• Though popular government was growing,
John Marshall and the Court remained a
constraint on total liberal government.
• The legal system began moving from the
regulation of behavior to the protection of
private property and contracts;
• Lawyers became the “Shocktroops” of
capitalism and John Marshall its greatest
advocate—Marshall was determined that
contracts and corporation be protected
against frivolous avarice.
• A series of famous Legal cases began the precedent.
• Marbury vs. Madison placed Judicial Review or
interpretation of constitutionality square on the
shoulders of the Supreme Court;
• Martin vs. Hunter’s Lessee established the authority of
the federal courts over the state courts.
• McCullough vs. Maryland that the constitution is
foundational—therefore it does have certain implied
powers—therefore the federal government supersedes
any state jurisdiction or pretended consent—and the
Federal gov’t has implied powers over the states
• The previous cases implied jurisdictional powers of the
government over the states.
• Dartmouth College vs. Woodward prevented the state of
individual from interfering with the College's
Corporate Charter (The New Hampshire legislature tried to rewrite the
colleges original charter making it more amenable to the state for appointing its
own trustees), Marshall cited Article I section 10 of the
Constitution—therefore it was a contract and the states had no
right to interfere
• Sturgis vs. Crowinshield struck down the New York State
bankruptcy laws allowing debtors to escape their creditors
relatively easy—this law also violate the impairment of contract
laws authorized by the constitution—obligations must be met
with all due diligence.
• Gibbons vs. Ogden This was a direct assault against the
states interfering with interstate commerce—the
constitution states that only the federal government
has the authority to regulate commerce.
• One state cannot give charter rights to any
commercial company which will cross state lines and
other states waterways—to maintain the fairness
Doctrine only the Federal government had the
authority to establish commerce crossing state lines or
international borders—there must be free competition
even within one’s own ports, bays, or Lakes. For
instance, a tariff or tax must be competitive and equal
to all, and all must have equity in establishing its
commercial efforts—again contracts and federal
government supersedes state law.
• Jefferson and the Old Republicans were
startled at the growing power of the Old
federalist and the New National republicans
such as Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun and
Daniel Webster.
• They looked for a savior to their old root
platform of “the least governed the best
governed.” They needed to appeal to the new
burgeoning Democratic majorities—the
westerners, southerners and many common
people—they looked to Andrew Jackson.