Chapter 12

THE SECOND WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

AND THE UPSURGE OF NATIONALISM,

1812-1824

Henry Clay (Warhawk)

June 1, 1812, after Congressional pressure, Madison asks for declaration of war against Britain

Britain repealed orders in council June 23, which would have stopped war, but neither side knew what the other was doing (note: last battle of war will have same odd twist)

War vote along party lines, but many New Englanders opposed it, most remaining federalists were in NE

Real reason for War? Madison listed Indian problems, ship

seizures, British ships in US waters Madison probably saw long term British

aim of elimination of America as trade rival, and war as only solution

WARHAWKS PUSH FOR WAR

Neither side really wanted to fi ght

Happened due to poor communications between the US and Great Britain Most New Englanders had seen the

Royal Navy up close and personal and realized the “nature of the beast”

The War Hawks from west of the Appalachians cared little about naval aff airs, and bragged that they could take Canada easily and end the war

The United States had more or less successfully stayed out of the British/French confl icts from Washington’s second administration until 1812

The combined pressures of the new Western Congressmen and impatience with British naval policy fi nally tipped the balance in favor of War

MR. MADISON’S WAR

US Navy Weak by Comparison to Brits due

to Jefferson Jefferson had authorized no capital

ship construction British would blockade American

ships in harbor, outnumbered hopelessly

Constitution, Congress, Constellation, and President

Objectives Conquer Canada

Many expected Canadians to support American invasion, wrong!!

Using militia, no real American professional Army to speak of

Spring 1812 to 1814, series of unsuccessful attacks on Canada

Three times (Fort Detroit, Queenston,Heights, Lake Champlain) Americans defeated or refused to attack across border into Canada

GREAT LAKES

At war’s beginning, neither side had a significant naval force on the Great Lakes, and bringing in ships from the sea was impossible (Niagara Falls)

Both the British and American ships were built on site, which favored the Americans Could enlist shipbuilders,

while Brits shipbuilding industry was 3000 miles away

SHIPBUILDING

Napoleon defeated, British commit new troops to war in America

Lake Champlain10,000 British Troops under Gen Prevost advance south from Montreal intending to cut North in half and isolate New England (convinced many in New England opposed the war (true), would push for peace (not proven)

Prevost felt he had to control Lake Champlain first, failed due to US troop resistance at Plattsburgh and Naval squadron under (US Admiral) Thomas McDonough.

US victory on Lake Champlain caused Prevost to abandon plan return to Canada

BRITISH OFFENSIVE

Brits sail from Bermuda into Chesapeake up to Washington, DC, win huge at Bladensburg, against militia, attack the Capitol

Brit troops eat Madison’s dinner, burned the White House

Brits attack Baltimore later, fail to take Fort McHenry

WASHINGTON AND FORT MCHENRY

“[I desire] to have a fl ag so large that the British will have no diffi culty in seeing it from a distance." - Major George Armistead

General John S. Str icker and Commodore Joshua Barney ordered two fl ags from Mary Pickersgi l l , a wel l -known fl agmaker in Balt imore. Made of wool One was largest garrison fl ag ever fl own Measured 30 feet high by 42 feet long Other fl ag, called a "storm fl ag," measured 17 feet by 25 feet.

Larger of the two fl ags had str ipes two feet wide, and stars 24 inches from point to point. At that t ime, i t was the pract ice to add one star and str ipe for each new state joining the Union. In 1814, the United States fl ag had 15 stars and 15 str ipes.

30' x 42' fl ag was the one that Francis Scott Key saw on the morning of September 14, 1814

Late evening hours of September 13th, the fi nal entry in the HMS Volcano's log for that day indicated the number of shel ls expended s ince 12 Noon: "10 [pm] heavy rain with squal ls , fur led sai ls , fi r ing at intervals. Midnight ra in. Fi red 72 13- inch & 70 10- inch shel ls & 4 carcasses"

Total of 146 shel ls thrown in a twelve hour period Had the British captured Fort McHenry and sailed past the Fort,

the carcass would have been used to set Baltimore afi re.

THE ATTACK ON FORT MCHENRY

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early l ight,What so proudly we hailed at the twil ight's last gleaming?Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the peri lous fi ght,O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming!And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,Gave proof through the night that our fl ag was sti l l there:O say, does that star-spangled banner yet waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,Where the foe's haughty host in dread si lence reposes,What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,As it fi tful ly blows, half conceals, half discloses?Now it catches the gleam of the mornings' fi rst beam,In ful l glory refl ected now shines on the stream:'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly sworeThat the havoc of war and the battle's confusionA home and a country should leave us no more?Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps pollution.No refuge could save the hirel ing and slaveFrom the terror of fl ight, or the gloom of the grave:And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall standBetween their loved homes and the war's desolation!Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued landPraise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nationThen conquer we must when our cause it is justAnd this be our motto: "In God is our trust."And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

August - December 1814 - negotiations in Belgium between US and Britain

Final treaty - “Status Quo, Ante-Bellum” December 24, 1814

War in Europe over issue of neutrality., trade was dead issue

Battle of New Orleans - “Andrew Jackson, superstar” January 8, 1815 (war over, but no one

in US knows it!!) Veteran British Army under Pakenham

sail up Mississippi, attacks New Orleans

American Army of regulars, militia, Jean Lafitte’s pirates shred Pakenham, kill 2000 Brits in an hour lose 13 Americans!

Jackson becomes a household name, will ascend to Presidency, aided by reputation as the hero of New Orleans, most dramatic American victory of the War (albeit fought after war was over)

TREATY OF GHENT

Name given by historians to James Monroe’s two terms in offi ceMonroe consciously avoided controversy trying to heal divide caused by Hartford Convention, Federalist/Republican conflicts

Feelings not as good as the phrase sounds, many serious national divisive issues still

THE “ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS”

Was the bank legal (Constitutional)in the fi rst place? Not specifically mentioned in

Constitution Marshall (again writing unanimous

opinion) , using a “Broad” or “Loose” interpretation says “yes” under “necessary and proper” clause

Can Maryland (or any state) tax the Bank (or any Federal agency within its jurisdiction) no - Federal Government under

Constitution is supreme within its sphere, therefore not subject to state regulation

“the power to tax involves the power to destroy”

MCCULLOCH V. MARYLAND

Many Republicans dismayed (remember John Marshall was a Federalist and would remain Chief Justice for 30 years)

By 1819, Bank was out of favor (again) blamed for tight money policy leading to the Panic of 1819 Bank had contracted credit, making money scarcer Marshall’s “McCullough” decision was seen by some as

putting the Bank beyond the regulatory power of any state government (and this really irritated those who saw the bank as the private money machine of its investors, and principally responsive to Northeastern investors an d their interests)

Will fuel Andrew Jackson’s hatred of the “Rich Man’s Bank”, as he will suffer serious financial reverses as a result of the panic

IMPACT OF MCCULLOCH V. MARYLAND

Three states had been admitted as slave states since Louisiana Purchase, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama No controversy over slavery’s legality from North Missouri applies for statehood, 1819 New York Republican introduces amendment to the

proposed Missouri constitution to outlaw slavery in Missouri

By Northwest Ordinance, slavery had been prohibited in new states north of the Ohio, but that has also included territories East of the Mississippi. Missouri was west of the Mississippi and, for almost it’s entire expanse, North of the Ohio River

MISSOURI COMPROMISE

Accepted by House rejected by Senate strictly along sectional lineshot issue

Sectionalism drove the debate

Northern positionadmission of another slave state would give slave states a majority of votes in the Senate (at the time there were 11 slave and 11 free states)

would set precedent for more slave states above the Ohio river latitude

Southern positionNorth conspiring to destroy the Union and end slaveryNorth pushing South to aggression to save slavery

MISSOURI COMPROMISE (CONT.)

Really several proposals lumped together under one name Admit Maine as a free state

(retaining Senate balance) Bar slavery in any new states lying

above Missouri’s southern border (latitude 36º 30')

Admit Missouri as a Slave state Still more confl ict

Missouri draft constitution proposed to prohibited free blacks from entering the state

clashed with Constitutional provision that citizens of any state had same rights in all states

Henry Clay got agreement that provided Missouri would not discriminate against citizens of other states, but left issue of whether free blacks were citizens up in the air

MISSOURI COMPROMISE (CONT.)

Viewed as a Southern victory by many, but: It did seem to

acknowledge the Congressional right to regulate slavery (not in the Constitution)

Did bar slavery from a lot of the new territory of Louisiana ( remember most of the rest of the southern part of the continent was still under Spain’s control as part of Mexico in 1821)

MISSOURI ADMITTED

Few confl icts and great Secretary of State (John Quincy Adams)

Rush-Bagot treaty (1817) - greatly limited number of ships either US or Britain could maintain on the Great Lakes

British American Convention of 1818 Restored American fishing rights in the

Grand Banks of Newfoundland Defined the Canadian-American border

from Lake of the Woods to the Rockies Declared “Oregon” (a whole lot more

territory than the boundaries of the state today!!) Open to both nations’ citizens

Formalized secure northern border and access to the Pacific (remember, California still Spanish in 1818)

FOREIGN POLICY UNDER MONROE

No one sure 1812-1818 what borders of east and West Florida were

Spain claimed both, but US had incorporated part of West Florida into Louisiana, and considered the rest as part of the Mississippi Territory

1818, Andrew Jackson invades East Florida (using pretext that Indians were being allowed to raid from there and protected by Spain, and that it was also a fugitive slave haven) (both somewhat true!) Hanged two British subjects captured forts, hanged Osceola’s brother

(also called the Prophet of the Seminoles) Grossly exceeded his authority, but Monroe and Adams refuse to court

martial him as some suggested, seeing greater opportunity Adams negotiates treaty with Spain - terms

East Florida ceded to US Spain renounces claims to West Florida agreed to border with Spain (left US free to adventure in Oregon, while

agreeing that Texas was not part of Louisiana Purchase)

ADAMS-ONIS TREATY, 1819

John Quincy Adams - expansionist, believed in Manifest Destiny before the term was invented Knew Spain was concerned about US intentions regarding he rest

of North American continent west to Pacific Knew Spain was discussing with Russian Tsar using the Holy

Alliance (European, Russian dominated, alliance dedicated to supporting Christian Monarchies throughout the world from revolution) to crush ant-Spanish revolutionary spirit in South America.

Agreed with proposal by British Prime Minister Canning, that US and Brits jointly propose to any European interference in South America

MONROE DOCTRINE

Adams favored American unilateral proposal as stronger statement Wanted to seem independent from British influence Brits had made a promise not to annex any current Spanish

territory part of the agreement, but that would limit US intentions toward Texas and other Spanish holdings, a concession Adams was unwilling to make

Formally promulgated as part of State of the Union address by Monroe to Congress December 2, 1823

Written largely by Adams, whose foreign policy it reflects. It stipulates: US would abstain from any European wars unless American interests

were involved The “American Continents” are not subjects for future colonization by

any European power The US would consider any such attempt as an “unfriendly act”

MONROE DOCTRINE (CONT.)

Then Europeans scoffed at it as an

empty statement Holy Alliance, afraid of Brit

Navy, not the US, stayed out of Spanish Western hemisphere affairs

It was a claim by the US to western hemisphere supremacy

Now Has been the cornerstone of

US foreign and hemispheric policy ever since, added to by Theodore Roosevelt and referred to by practically every President since as if it were the 11th commandment

IMPACT OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE