1301.9e - Politics and the War of 1812

The Election of 181200:00:00

President Madison declared war on the British in the spring of 1812, which was also an election year. The campaign focused on foreign policy, the war, and conflict with Native nations. Madison, a Democratic-Republican, ran for a second term against Federalist DeWitt Clinton. Although Madison won, it was the closest election since 1796. Clinton was one of the nation's best early campaigners, catering to Federalist anti-war sentiment in New England and arguing for a better prosecution of the war in the South and West. Candidates did not campaign directly; party members printed materials. Clinton began to change this, setting a new standard for presidential campaigns.

The War and the Burning of Washington00:02:24

The video turns to the war itself without detailing battles. In 1814, the British attacked Washington D.C. and burned it, including the White House, but the marble facade survived, and a hurricane's rain put out the fires. The war was a stalemate: neither side gained an advantage. American attempts to invade Canada failed, and the British burned D.C. but lost outside Baltimore at Fort McHenry, inspiring 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Several years of fighting resulted in no significant gains or changes for either side.

Federalist Opposition and the Hartford Convention00:04:01

Federalist opposition to the war increased, especially after the burning of Washington in 1814. Federalists favored the British, opposed the war, detested the Democratic-Republican majority, and disliked the growth of government power. They held the Hartford Convention from October 1814 to January 1815 in Hartford, Connecticut, to discuss ending the war and limiting national government power. They created a document of demands, including repeal of the Three-Fifths Compromise, limits on trade embargoes, a one-term limit for president, and requiring presidents to be from a different state than their predecessor. They implied authority from the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. Newspapers discussed possible secession, but it was not part of the convention's demands. They sent the document to Washington in January 1815, and negotiators arrived in February 1815, with terrible timing.

The Treaty of Ghent00:08:13

Negotiations with the British began in August 1814. The Treaty of Ghent, signed on December 24, 1814, in Belgium, ended the war with status quo antebellum—everything returned to the way it was before the war. The British agreed to return captured and freed slaves but instead paid over $1.2 million (about $29 million today) to reimburse slave owners. News of the treaty took time to reach America, not arriving until late January 1815.

The Battle of New Orleans00:10:37

The same delays prevented the news of the treaty from reaching armies in the field. The British sent an invasion force to capture New Orleans, clashing on January 8, 1815. General Andrew Jackson led the defense and won a decisive victory, causing the British to retreat from Louisiana. News of the victory in Washington later in January led to a rise in national pride and made Jackson an even bigger national hero. It was perhaps the only decisive U.S. victory of the war, technically after the war was over.

Results of the War00:11:55

The British gained and lost nothing. The Americans gained and lost nothing but earned British respect, ending impressment and interference with Native nations. The British and Americans concluded new trade agreements after the war, beginning a new era of cooperation that has not been broken. Native nations were the biggest losers, losing the ability to slow American settlement in the Ohio country and Northwest, with Tecumseh's confederation shattered, the Creek losing over half their territory, and armed conflict ending in Gulf Coast states. The Federalists were the other big losers; the Hartford Convention negotiators arrived after news of the treaty and the battle, and public opinion turned against them. They were labeled traitors and opportunists, and the party was effectively dead by 1820. The attempt to shame Madison backfired spectacularly.

Significance of the War00:15:11

The war is often called the Second War of American Independence, as it finally forced Britain to treat the U.S. as an independent nation and stop interfering. It also signaled a new age in American politics: single-party control, cooperation, and the rise of the War Hawks from being war hawks to political party leaders. The next topic will be an in-depth look at slavery.