The War of 1812 - Crash Course US History #11

Summary

In this Crash Course US History episode, John Green explores the War of 1812, America's first declared war. He delves into the causes, including British impressment of sailors and America's desire for expansion, particularly into Canada. Green highlights the war's impact on Native Americans, the strategic blunders of the US military, and key battles like the Battle of New Orleans. The war's outcome, which saw no territorial changes but solidified America's national identity and ended the Federalist Party, is also discussed.

Takeaways

• 🇺🇸 The War of 1812 was America's first declared war, reflecting the nation's growing pains and aspirations.
• 🎖️ A significant cause of the war was British impressment of American sailors, which was seen as a violation of American sovereignty.
• 🌊 The concept of citizenship was fluid during this time, with many sailors' nationalities being uncertain, complicating the issue of impressment.
• 🤝 The British aimed to disrupt American trade with France through policies like the Orders in Council, which was a point of contention.
• 🦅 The 'war hawks,' including Henry Clay, pushed for war, seeing it as a way to assert American honor and promote free trade.
• 🇨🇦 American expansionism, particularly the desire to annex Canada, was a driving force behind the war, aligning with the Jeffersonian agrarian model.
• 🏰 The war was also influenced by the desire to expand into Native American territories, leading to conflicts like the Battle of Tippecanoe.
• ⚔️ The War of 1812 was marked by military failures and farcical attempts to conquer Canada, highlighting poor American strategy.
• 🛳 Despite being outmatched by the British navy, the US had notable naval victories, such as the USS Constitution earning the nickname 'Old Ironsides'.
• 🏰 The burning of the White House by the British was a significant event during the war, symbolizing a low point for American morale.
• 📜 The Treaty of Ghent ended the war without any territorial changes, but it solidified the US as an independent nation and influenced future American foreign policy.

Q & A

What was the primary reason given for the War of 1812?

The primary reason given for the War of 1812 was the British impressment of American sailors, which involved the forced enlistment of sailors into the British navy, disrupting American shipping and violating American sovereignty.

Why were there complications regarding the impressment of sailors by the British?

Complications arose because many British sailors were working aboard American ships, and citizenship was a slippery concept, with sailors often forging papers or identifying as American through tattoos. Additionally, Britain was fighting Napoleon's forces, which influenced their need for sailors.

What was the stance of the 'war hawks' on the issue of impressment and trade?

The war hawks, including Henry Clay, took the impressment of sailors as an affront to American national honor and complained that Britain's actions were an affront to free trade, meaning America's ability to trade with Europeans other than Great Britain.

How did the Orders in Council affect American trade?

The Orders in Council required American ships to dock in Britain and pay tax before trading with other European nations, which the Americans saw as a violation of their independence and an attempt by the British to regulate American trade.

What was the role of Canada in the War of 1812?

The desire for Canadian territory was a significant factor leading to the War of 1812. American settlers and politicians saw the acquisition of Canada as a means to expand the agrarian republic and gain more land for farming and slavery.

How did Native Americans factor into the War of 1812?

Native Americans were affected by the westward expansion of American settlers and were involved in the conflict. Leaders like Tecumseh resisted white settlement, leading to battles such as the Battle of Tippecanoe, and they were ultimately significant losers in the war, losing more territory.

What was the outcome of the American attempts to invade Canada during the War of 1812?

The attempts to invade Canada were largely unsuccessful. Americans were confident that Canadians would join them, but this did not happen. Poor strategy and resistance from British and Indian forces led to a series of setbacks for the American forces.

What were some notable American victories during the War of 1812?

Notable American victories included the battleship USS Constitution earning the nickname 'Old Ironsides', Oliver Hazard Perry's defeat of a British fleet in Lake Erie, and Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans.

What were the terms of the Treaty of Ghent, and what did it signify for the War of 1812?

The Treaty of Ghent ended the war without any territorial changes, returning everything to the status quo. It confirmed the United States' existence as an independent nation and marked the end of British invasions of America.

How did the War of 1812 impact the United States' perception of itself on the world stage?

The War of 1812 solidified the United States' identity as an independent nation and a significant player on the world stage. It also led to a surge in nationalistic fervor and a sense of victory, despite the lack of clear territorial gains.

Outlines

00:00

🇺🇸 Introduction to the War of 1812

The paragraph introduces the topic of the War of 1812, America's first declared war, and sets the stage for a discussion on its causes and effects. John Green humorously addresses the war's name, suggesting alternative titles that reflect its nature more accurately. The main reasons for the war are outlined, including British impressment of American sailors, which disrupted American shipping and was seen as a violation of sovereignty. The complexities of citizenship and sailor identities during this time are highlighted, as well as the British policy of impressment as a strategy to strengthen their war effort against Napoleon and disrupt American trade with France. The paragraph also touches on American Anglophobia and the role of 'war hawks' like Henry Clay, who saw the impressment as an affront to national honor and free trade.

05:02

🔥 The Complexities of War and Native American Resistance

This paragraph delves into the complexities of the War of 1812, focusing on the American desire for expansion into Native American territories and Canada. It discusses the different responses of Native American groups to westward expansion, with some like the Cherokees attempting to assimilate and others, such as Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, resisting and advocating for a return to traditional ways. The paragraph also covers the military aspects of the war, including the Battle of Tippecanoe and the roles of key figures like William Henry Harrison and Andrew Jackson. It highlights the imbalance in military power between the United States and Great Britain, the latter's preoccupation with Napoleon, and the eventual British focus on the war after 1814. The summary also touches on the American strategy, or lack thereof, and the impact of the war on Native Americans, who were the biggest losers despite being on the periphery of the conflict.

10:02

🏰 The Outcomes and Legacy of the War of 1812

The final paragraph summarizes the outcomes of the War of 1812, emphasizing that despite the lack of territorial changes, the war had significant implications for the United States. It discusses the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war without resolving the initial issues of impressment or free trade but did solidify the United States' existence as a nation. The war's impact on American nationalism, the rise of Andrew Jackson, and the demise of the Federalist Party are highlighted. The paragraph also reflects on the war's effects on Canadian nationalism and the lasting relationship between the United States and Canada. It concludes by emphasizing the war's role in shaping America's perception of itself as a major player on the global stage, a position it has maintained since.

Keywords

💡War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a conflict between the United States and Great Britain that lasted from 1812 to 1815. It was the first declared war by the United States. The war is central to the video's theme as it discusses its causes, such as British impressment of American sailors, and its effects on American identity and expansion. The video mentions that the war was fought over issues like maritime rights, impressment, and territorial expansion into Canada and Native American lands.

💡Impressment

Impressment was the practice of forcing individuals into military service, often at sea. In the context of the video, British impressment of American sailors was a significant cause of the War of 1812. It disrupted American shipping and was seen as a violation of American sovereignty, leading to tensions between the two nations.

💡Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon's French Empire against various European coalitions. The video connects these wars to the War of 1812 by explaining that Britain's need for sailors was high due to their fight against Napoleon, which influenced their impressment policies and affected American sailors.

💡War Hawks

War Hawks were a group of American politicians who advocated for war with Britain during the early 19th century. The video highlights Henry Clay as the most famous War Hawk, emphasizing their role in pushing for war due to issues like impressment and trade restrictions.

💡Free Trade

Free trade refers to the ability to trade without restrictions or tariffs. In the video, it is mentioned that American politicians complained about Britain's restrictions on American trade, particularly through the Orders in Council, which required American ships to pay taxes in Britain before trading with other European nations.

💡Native Americans

Native Americans are the indigenous peoples of the United States. The video discusses their resistance to American expansion and the impact of the War of 1812 on their communities. Figures like Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa (The Prophet) are mentioned as leaders who resisted white settlement and assimilation.

💡Tecumseh

Tecumseh was a Native American leader who attempted to form a confederacy of various tribes to resist American expansion. The video quotes Tecumseh criticizing the division among Native American tribes and discusses his role in resisting American westward expansion.

💡Battle of Tippecanoe

The Battle of Tippecanoe was a conflict between American forces led by William Henry Harrison and Native American forces led by Tecumseh. The video uses this battle as an example of the American military response to Native American resistance.

💡Battle of New Orleans

The Battle of New Orleans was a significant American victory during the War of 1812, led by Andrew Jackson. The video highlights this battle as a turning point for Jackson's career and notes the irony that it occurred after the peace treaty had already been signed.

💡Treaty of Ghent

The Treaty of Ghent was the agreement that ended the War of 1812. The video explains that the treaty returned relations between the U.S. and Britain to the status quo ante bellum, meaning it did not resolve the issues that caused the war but did confirm the United States' existence as an independent nation.

💡Federalist Party

The Federalist Party was one of the first American political parties. The video discusses how the War of 1812 and the Hartford Convention led to the party's decline, as their proposals for constitutional changes were seen as unpatriotic during a time of war.

Highlights

The War of 1812 was America's first declared war, often named for its starting year.

British impressment of American sailors was a major cause of the war, disrupting American shipping and violating sovereignty.

Citizenship was a complex issue with many British sailors working on American ships, leading to blurred lines between nationalities.

The British were fighting Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars, which influenced their impressment policy and relations with America.

American Anglophobia and conspiracy theories, such as British agents sabotaging the textile industry, fueled war sentiment.

War Hawks, like Henry Clay, pushed for war due to issues of national honor and free trade restrictions imposed by Britain.

The Orders in Council allowed Britain to regulate American trade, causing tension despite being rescinded before the war's declaration.

American expansionism and desire for Canadian territory was a significant factor leading to the war.

Native American resistance, led by figures like Tecumseh, was met with American military force, impacting the war's dynamics.

The War of 1812 was also a war against Native Americans, with tribes suffering significant losses and territorial concessions.

The United States' military was ill-prepared for the war, with a small army and navy compared to Britain's forces.

Despite initial failures, the US had key victories like the Battle of Lake Erie and the Battle of New Orleans.

The Treaty of Ghent ended the war without significant territorial changes, returning to the status quo ante bellum.

The war confirmed the United States' existence as an independent nation and deterred future British invasions.

The war's outcome launched Andrew Jackson's political career and solidified American control over lands east of the Mississippi.

The War of 1812 ended the Federalist Party's influence and contributed to a rise in American nationalism.

The war's legacy includes the beginning of America's role as a significant player on the world stage.

Transcripts

Hi, I'm John Green, this is Crash Course US History and today we're going to talk about what America's best at: War.

[Patriotic Rock Music]

Uh, Mr. Green, the United States has actually only declared war 5 times in the last 230 years.

Oh me from the the past, you sniveling literalist.

Well today we're going to talk about America's first declared war, The War of 1812, so called because historians are terrible at naming things.

I mean the could have called it The Revolutionary War: Part Deux, or The Canadian Cataclysm, or The War to Facilitate Future Wars.

But no, they just named it after the year it started.

[Theme Music]

I know this disappoints the military historians among you, but as usual, we're gonna spend more time talking about the causes and effects of the war than the actual, like, killing parts, because ultimately it's the ambiguity of The War of 1812 that makes it so interesting.

The reason most often given for The War of 1812 was the British impressment of American sailors, whereby American sailors would be kidnapped and basically forced into British servitude.

This disrupted American shipping and also seems like a reasonably obvious violation of American sovereignty, but it's a little more complicated than that.

First of all, there were many thousands of British sailors working aboard American ships so many of the sailors that the British captured were in fact British.

Which gets to the large point that citizenship at the time was a pretty slippery concept especially on the high seas.

Like, papers were often forged, and many sailors identified supposed American-ness through tattoos of like eagles and flags.

And there were several reasons why a British sailor might like to become, or pretend to be, an American, including that the Brits at the time were fighting Napoleon in what historians, in their infinite creativity, called The Napoleonic Wars.

And on that topic, Britain's impressment policy allowed them both to disrupt American shipping to France and get new British sailors to strengthen their war effort,

which was annoying to the Americans on a couple levels especially the French-loving Republicans,

which is a phrase that you don't hear very often anymore.

Another reason often given for the war, was America's crazy conspiratorial Anglophobia.

There was even a widespread rumor that British agents were buying up Connecticut sheep in order to sabotage the textile industry, lest you worry that America's fascination with conspiracy theories is new.

So those pushing for war were known as war hawks, and the most famous among them was Kentucky's Henry Clay.

They took the impressment of sailors as an affront to American national honor, but they also complained that Britain's actions were an affront to free trade, by which they meant America's ability to trade with Europeans other than Great Britain.

And to be fair, the British were trying to regulate American trade.

They even passed The Orders in Counsel which required American ships to dock in Britain and pay tax before trading with other European nations.

Britain, we were an independent nation! You can't do that kind of stuff!

We have a special relationship but it's not that special!

But the problem with saying that this caused the war was that The Orders had been in effect for five years before the war started.

AND they were rescinded in 1812 before the US declared war.

Although, admittedly, we didn't know about it because it didn't reach us until after we declared.

There was no Twitter.

Another reason for the war was Canada.

That's right Canada, American's wanted you and who can blame them we your excellent healthcare and your hockey and your first rate national anthem.

Stan this is fun but enough with the #1812problems.

According to the Virginia Congressman John Randolph, "Agrarian cupidity not maritime rights urges the war.

We have heard but one word: Canada, Canada, Canada."

I'm not here to criticize you John Randolph but that's actually three words.

Now some historians disagree with this but the relentless pursuit of new land certainly fits in with the Jeffersonian model of an agrarian republic.

And there's another factor that figured into America's decision to go to war:

expansion into territory controlled by Native Americans.

Oh, it's time for the mystery document?

The rules here are simple:

I try to guess the author of the mystery document.

Usually I'm wrong and I get shocked.

All right, let’s see what we got here.

"You want, by your distinctions of Indian tribes, in allotting to each a particular tract of land, to make them to war with each other.

You never see an Indian come and endeavor to make the white people do so."

It's Tecumseh. Drop the mic... [dinging noise]

is something that I would do except that the mic is actually attached to my shirt so there's n– there's no drama in this.

Clearly a Native American criticism of white people, and I happen to know that that particular one comes from Tecumseh and I don't get shocked today.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Americans were continuing to push westward into territories where Indians were living.

I mean, this was a big reason for the Louisiana Purchase after all.

By the beginning of the war, more than 400,000 settlers had moved into territories west of the original 13 colonies and they outnumbered American Indians by a significant margin.

Some native groups responded with a measure of assimilation.

Cherokees like John Ross wanted to become more "civilized", that is, more white and farmer-y.

And some of them did even adopt such civilized practices as written languages and slavery, the most civilized practice of all.

[sigh] People are always like, "Why aren't you more celebratory of American History?"

Well, why isn't there more to celebrate?

But other Indians wanted to resist.

The best known of these were the aforementioned Tecumseh and his brother Tensk –

Stan, can you just put it on the screen?

[Tenskwatawa on screen] Yes. Let's just enjoy looking at that.

Right, that's just for all you visual learners.

So he was also known as The Prophet, because of his religious teachings, and also because of the pronunciation issues.

The Prophet encouraged Indians, especially those living in and around the settlement of Prophetstown, to abandon the ways of the whites, primarily in the form of alcohol and manufactured consumer goods.

So stop drinking alcohol and eating refined sugars – this guy sounds like my doctor!

Tecumseh was more militant; attempting to revive Neolin's idea of pan-Indianism and actively resisting white settlement.

As he put it, "Sell a country, why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the Earth?

Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children?"

The Americans responded to this reasonable criticism in the traditional manner – with guns.

William Henry Harrison destroyed the native settlement at Prophetstown in what would become known as the Battle of Tippecanoe.

He would later ride that fame all the way to the presidency in 1840 and then – SPOILER ALERT:

He would give the longest inauguration address ever, catch a cold, and die 40 days later.

Let that be a lesson to you, American politicians: Long speeches? Fatal!

So I just painted a pretty negative picture of the American treatment of the Indians – because it was awful.

But I haven't mentioned how this relates to the War of 1812.

The Americans were receiving reports that the British were encouraging Tecumseh, which they probably were.

And the important thing to remember here is that the War of 1812, like the Seven Years War and the American Revolution was also a war against Indians.

And as in those other two wars, the Indians were the biggest losers.

And not in the cool way of biggest loser where, like, Trainer Bob helps you lose weight, but in the really sad way, where your entire civilization gets John C. Calhouned.

So the War of 1812 was the first time that the United States declared war on anybody.

It was also the smallest margin of a declaration of war vote: 79 to 49 in the House and 19 to 13 in the Senate.

Northern States, which relied on trade a lot, didn't want to go to war, while southern and western states, which were more agrarian and wanted expansion to get land for farming and slavery, did.

The closeness of the vote reflects a profound ambivalence about the war.

As Henry Adams wrote,

"Many Nations have gone to war in pure gaiety of the heart, but perhaps the United States were the first to force themselves into a war they dreaded, in the hope that the war itself might create the spirit they lacked."

Don't worry, Henry Adams! In the future we're gonna get pretty gaiety of heart-ish about war.

Anyway, as an actual war, the War of 1812 was something of a farce.

Let's go to the Thought Bubble.

The US army numbered 10-12 thousand and its officers were sunk into either sloth, ignorance, or habits of intemperate drinking.

The US navy had 17 ships. Great Britain had 1,000.

Also, America had very little money, Britain collected 40 times more tax revenue than the US.

But Britain was busy fighting Napoleon, which is why they didn't really start kicking America's butt until 1814, after Napoleon was defeated.

Napoleon's defeat was also the practice of impressment, since Britain didn't need so many sailors anymore.

Initially, much of the war consisted of America's attempts to take Canada, which any map will show you went smashingly.

Americans were confident the Canadians would rush to join the US.

When marching from Detroit, General William Hull informed the Canadians that,

"You will be emancipated from tyranny and oppression and restored to the dignified station of free men."

And the Canadians were like, "Yeah, we're okay actually."

And so the British in Canada, with their Indian allies, went ahead and captured Detroit and then forced Hull's surrender.

America's lack of success in Canada was primarily attributable to terrible strategy.

They might have succeeded if they'd taken Montreal, but they didn't want to march through northern New York because it was full of Federalists who were opposed to the war.

Instead they concentrated on the West, that is, the area around Detroit, where fighting went back and forth.

The British found much more success, even seizing Washington DC and burning the white house.

In the course of the battle, British admiral George Cockburn, overseeing the destruction of a newspaper printing house, told the forces that took the city,

"Be sure that all the Cs are destroyed, so that the rascals cannot any longer abuse my name.

It's hard out there for a Cockburn.

Thanks, Thought Bubble.

Given these problems it's amazing there were any American successes, but there were.

The battleship USS Constitution broke the myth of British naval invincibility when cannonballs bounced off it and earned it the nickname "Old Ironsides".

Oliver Hazard Perry defeated a British fleet, in, of all places, Lake Erie.

At the battle of the Thames, William Harry Harrison defeated Tecumseh.

And the battle of Horseshoe Ben showed one of the reasons why Indians were defeated when Andrew Jackson played one group of Creeks against another group of Creeks and Cherokees.

800 Indians were killed in that battle.

And speaking of Jackson, the most notable American victory of the war was the Battle of New Orleans, which catapulted him to prominence.

He lost only 71 men while inflicting 2,036 British casualties.

Of course, the most memorable thing about the battle is that it took place two weeks after the peace treaty ending the war had been signed.

But hey, that's not Jackson's fault.

Again – no twitter, #1815problems.

The treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, proved just how necessary the war had been: not at all.

No territory changed hands when negotiations started.

And in August 1814, the British asked for Northern Maine, demilitarization of The Great Lakes, and some territory to create an independent nation for the Indians, and the Northwest.

But none of that happened, not because the U.S. was in a particularly good negotiating position,

but it would have been awkward for Great Britain to carve out pieces of the US, and then tell Russia and Prussia that they couldn't take pieces of Europe for themselves to celebrate their victory in the Napoleonic Wars.

There were no provisions in the treaty about impressment or free trade and basically the treaty returned everything to the status quo.

So, neither the US or Great Britain actually won.

But the Indians suffered significant casualties and gave up even more territory, definitely lost.

So with a treaty like that, the war must have had a negligible impact on American history, right?

Except, no; the war of 1812 confirmed that the US would exist.

Britain would never invade American again (until 1961).

I mean the US were good customers, and Great Britain was happy to let them trade, as long as that trade wasn't helping a French dictator.

The War launched Andrew Jackson's career and solidified the settlement and conquest of land east of the Mississippi River.

And our lack of success in Canada reinforced Canadian nationalism while also ensuring that instead of becoming one great nation, we would forever be Canada's pants.

The war also spelled the end of the Federalist Party, which tried in 1815 with the Hartford Convention to change the constitution.

In retrospect, the Hartford Convention proposals actually look pretty reasonable.

They wanted to eliminate the clause wherein black people were counted as 3/5 of a human,

and require a 2/3 congressional majority to declare war.

But Because they had their convention right before Jackson's victory at New Orleans, they only came off looking unpatriotic and out of touch, as the elite so often do.

It's hard to argue that the Americans really won The War of 1812, but we felt like we won,

and nothing unleashes national pride like war winning.

The nationalistic fervor that emerged in the early 19th century, was, like most things, good news for some and bad news for others.

But what’s important to remember, regardless of whether you're an American, is that after 1812, the United States saw itself not just as an independent nation but as a big player on the world stage.

For better and for worse, that's a gig we've held onto.

And no matter how you feel about America's international interventions, you need to remember,

it didn't begin in Afghanistan or even Europe; it started with freakin' Canada.

Thanks for watching, I'll see you next week.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller.

The script supervisor is Meredith Danko.

Our show is written by my high school history teacher Raoul Meyer and myself.

Our Associate Producer is Danica Johnson.

And our graphics team is Thought Cafe.

If you have questions about today's video, you can ask them in comments, where they will be answered by our team of historians.

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