The war of 1812 Flashcards
How long did the war of 1812 last?
2.5 years
What does highly contested over who won the ultimate winner war mean?
This means there is often debate over who truly “won” the war.
What was a major event that took place in 1775 in the U.S.?
The American Revolution.
Who was the American Revolution fought between?
The Loyalists (supported British rule) and Patriots (opposed British rule).
Who won the American revolution, what did they get, and when?
The Patriots won and established American independence in 1776
Leading up to the war of 1812 what other conflict were the British faces?
The French.
Who was leading the French in 1812?
Napoleon Bonaparte was leading the French in 1812.
Why was the British having conflict with the french a benefit for the Americans?
The Americans saw this as an opportunity to gain control of North America.
What method did the British use to gain strength on their navy?
Impressment.
What does Impressment mean?
The act of forcing individuals to serve in the Navy, with or without notice.
What were the groups of people who enforced impressment called?
Press Gangs.
How did Americans feel about Impressment?
They were absolutely against this process.
They viewed it as an offence to national pride and personal freedom.
What did the British press gangs do that made matters even worse?
The press gangs began using impressment against Americans, forcing them to work on British ships.
What did the Americans believe?
They believed that it was important for people to have the opportunity to choose their own path in life.
What does deserters mean?
Leaving the military without permition.
What word is very similar to the word “impressment?”
Conscription.
What did the Americans do during the time where the British were caught up with the french?
They pushed west of the 13 Colonies, spreading their culture throughout as much of the continent as they could.
Who was the president of America before, during and slightly after the War Of 1812?
James Madison.
What was James Madison known for?
Madison was a president known far more for his intelligence than his military prowess and strength.
What was Madison not?
He was not a forceful man who strongly imposed his ideas upon others.
What was Madison’s most notable strength?
He had excellent ideas and visions for the government.
What was Madison’s most notable weaknesses?
The lack of confidence when it came to making war-related decisions
What were these war supporters called?
War hawks?
What did the war hawks demmand?
Action in armed conflict and put pressure on Madison to support this fight.
Who were the Americans lead by?
General William Hull.
What did the war hawks believe?
They believed that America, while less than 40 years old, was a strong country that needed to be stronger.
When did Madison declare war on Britain?
June 12, 1812.
Was was cause #1 of Madison declaring war on Britain?
Forcing American soldiers, who weren’t even British, to join the British Navy.
What was cause #2 of Madison declaring war on Britain?
America’s desire to expand West and North and into Canada. Expanding north into Canada would cause conflict with the British settlers in the area.
What was cause #3 of Madison declaring war on Britain?
America was helping France during their war with Britain by sending supplies to them on ships, supporting Napoleon. Britain blocked all American shipments into France. This interfered with American trade, therefore affecting the economy.
How were people aware that Madison had declared war againsed the British?
A notice was posted by the police in Quebec City.
Who is General William Hull?
A high ranking officer in the American military.
What did Hull believe?
That the colonists in British North America would not resist the American invasion. And
What did Hull figure?
That the colonists in Upper Canada were caught in the middle and Americans needed to ‘help them’
What did Hull plan?
He planned to lead a major invasion into British North America.
When were the Americans beginning to build a heavy presence near what is now the American/Canadian border (near modern day Windsor, Ontario)?
In August of 1812.
Who fought on behalf of the British/Canadians and aimed to put a stop to American invasions?
Chief Tecumseh.
Who was Chief Tecumseh an important member of?
The Shawnee First Nations.
What did Chief Tecumseh continuously experience?
American invasion attempts and had been battling against the Americans for decades.
What did chief Tecumseh know?
That the Americans would stop at nothing to take over British North America.
Who was Tecumseh?
He was a fearless leader with a vision that involved defending his land from the Americans.
What was Tecumseh good at?
Rallying his men together in defense of attacking nations.
What did Tecumseh became aware of?
American General William Hull’s intention to cross the Detroit/Windsor border and invade the area.
What was Tecumseh able to do?
Retrieve important intelligence/information about American attack plans. The Americans were somewhat careless with their information.
What was something very important that Tecumseh knew?
That the Americans were waiting in Detroit and Tecumseh now knew their location and some of their plans to attack British North America.
Who did Tecumseh need to work with in order to stop the Americans?
The British.
Why would it be easy to convince the British to team up with Tecumseh?
He now had valuable information that the British would be interested in.
Who was Isaac Brock?
A British war general.
What did Tecumseh do with Isaac Brock?
They formed an important relationship.
What did both Isaac and Tecumseh know?
That the First Nations and British could help one another.
