In June of 1812 James Madison became the first American president to ask congress to issue a declaration of war. Tension had been building between Great Britain and its former colony for some time. The United States felt that Britain’s trade restrictions on their commerce with France violated their right to free trade. Another area of contention was the impressments of American sailors into the British Navy. Great Britain asserted it had the right to search American ships for deserters. But since they did not recognize those sailors who were born in England and immigrated to the United States as American citizens, American sailors were being impressed to serve on British ships. Also during this time the United States was seeking to expand into the Northwest Territory. This effort was resisted by indigenous Indian tribes who were aided and supplied by the British who believed this was the beginning of an American attempt to annex Canada.
There were several famous encounters during this conflict. When the British entered the capital to burn all government buildings Dolly Madison refused to leave the White House until a portrait of George Washington was rescued. The British attack on Baltimore included the siege of Fort McHenry. It was during this battle that Francis Scott Key wrote what would later become the national anthem. This conflict was essentially a draw. As the war drug on many of the issues that lead to it resolved themselves. The war between France and England was over thereby ending trade restrictions and impressments of sailors. Several of the Indian leaders involved in attacks along the Northwest Territory were killed in battle and it became clear that the United States was not trying to annex Canada. On December 28, 1814 the Treaty of Ghent officially ended the conflict.
For those who wish to learn about ancestors who fought in this war information regarding service records is available at Ancestry.com, Rootsweb, and the National Archives.If you like what you see, keep going: Canada, Northwest Territories Quake
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