Historical Summary - The War of 1812 essays

Historical Summary - The War of 1812 essays The direct causes of the War of 1812 were a group of economic restrictions placed on America by Britain and France. These restrictions were part of the Napoleonic Wars and American fury at the British practice of impressment, the practice of stopping American vessels and forcing American sailors to work on British ships, especially after the Chesapeake incident in 1807. In 1806, the British wrote up the Orders of Council that damaged American trade. This made the U.S., under Jefferson, to attempt several disciplinary prohibitions. However, these prohibitions hurt the U.S. much more than they hurt Britain and this angered many American people and provided support to the War Hawks of Congress such as Henry Clay. Then, in 1812, Congress declared war against the British. The war started with an attack on Canada. This attack was a plan to gain land and to stop British supply lines to Tecumsehs Indian confederation, which had troubled America for quite some time. The War Hawks had hoped that the first battles in Canada would be fairly easy yet he was not so fortunate. The inexperienced soldiers were pushed back very quickly and had to rethink their plans. Actually, there was a large chance that a serious northern-front invasion of the U.S. if America hadnt been victorious at Lake Erie and Lake Champlain. General William Henry Harrison and his forces killed Tecumseh at the Battle of the Thames in 1813 while fighting another important battle against the British General Isaac Brook and his small force. British troops landed in the Chesapeake Bay area and marched towards Washington in 1814. The U.S. attempted to stop the British invasion when U.S. General William Winder attacked the British General Robert Ross at Bladensburg. Unfortunately, U.S. forces were badly routed and the British reached Washington. The troops burned down the capitol, the Presidents House, and much more of the suburban areas in Washington. The Bri...