Jefferson Through Madison and The War of 1812

1805-1809

Jefferson’s policies made him very popular• Lowered taxes• Acquired vast new lands to the west• Allowed Alien and Sedition Acts to expire• Kept the nation at peace

Landslide victory for Jefferson• Won all but two states• Electoral College

Jefferson: 162 C.C. Pinckney: 14

France and Britain at war (again)• Napoleon has taken over most of the European

continent Both countries enforce blockades

• Britain stops all ships going into Napoleon’s Europe

• France stops all ship heading towards the British Isles

Britain seized more than 1,000 American ships and confiscated their cargo• Practiced impressment

Forcing American sailors into their navy

Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte

Britain wanted to board a U.S. Navy frigate• The Captain said no• The British Navy opened fire

3 American sailors died, 18 were wounded U.S. public opinion turned against the British

After the Chesapeake incident Jefferson convinced Congress to order an

embargo• No U.S. businesses were to sell any goods to

foreign countries• Felt that this would hurt Britain

Wanted them to recognize American Neutrality Europe was largely unaffected U.S. businesses were badly hurt Congress lifted the act in 1809 Bad mark on Jefferson’s second term

• He lost popularity• Americans lost confidence in their government

The fourth President of the US Member of Jefferson’ Republican

party Jefferson decided not to run in the

election of 1808 and he endorsed Madison

Madison beat C.C. Pinckney easily

Americans who were tired of being bullied and wanted war

John C. Calhoun of S. Carolina Henry Clay of Kentucky

On June 10, 1812, Congress asked for a declaration of war

As Congress was debating, the British Parliament was passing a law to respect US Neutrality• Communication was slow and word did not

reach Congress in time

South and West were pro-war New England was anti-war

• Again, New England talked about seceding

The US Navy consisted of a total of nine ships

The army was never larger than 35,000

US Offensive• US invades Canada several times but never

succeeds British Offensive

• “Bladensburg Races”: stormed Washington D.C., burned the Capitol and the White House

• Fort McHenry: massive attack on the Baltimore Harbor Unsuccessful Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled

Banner

The bombardment of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore

Fort McHenry Today

Francis Scott Key reaching out

to the Star Spangled Banner

Prior to 1814, other American symbols were more prominent than the American flag

Early American gold coins, for example, featured the eagle and the "Liberty Cap"

The American flag has grown in importance The flag became "the primary symbol of

American patriotism" after Francis Scott Key's poetic account of the bombardment of Fort McHenry stirred a powerful sentiment in the American people

An Artist's Rendering of the Bombardment on Fort McHenry

First printed edition combining words and music , published in 1814.

The original “Star Spangled Banner” in Francis Scott Key’s

handwriting

The Star-Spangled Banner for Fort McHenry was made by Mary Pickersgill

It had 15 stripes and 15 stars It originally measured 30 x 42 feet

• about one-quarter the size of a basketball court

Each star is about two feet across

The 15 Star, 15 Stripe Flag

The Surviving Fort McHenry Flag

This flag design became the official United States flag on May 1, 1795

With the addition of two stars for Vermont and Kentucky, this flag was to last for 23 years

The five Presidents who served under this flag were:• George Washington (1789-1797)• John Adams (1797-1801)• Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)• James Madison (1809-1817) and• James Monroe (1817-1825)

New England was where the U.S. trade business was centered• Trade suffered during the war• Many businesses went under

People felt that the government did not care about their interests

In December, 1814 delegates met in Hartford• Discussed the possibility of succeeding from the

union• Third time discussed, closest they actually got• Settled for a plan to give New England more say

The war basically ended in a tie The Treaty basically left things the

way the were prior to the war

Signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Ghent, Belgium

U.S. beat some of the best British troops

Andrew Jackson successfully defended New Orleans • Battle happened after the Treaty of Ghent

was signed• Only clear victory for the U.S.

Made the Americans feel that they had won the war