REASON FOR WAR

              On July 4, 1776 America won its independence from England.  The American Revolutionary War ended in 1783.  The British never really left   

             America and they still tried to take over our country.  The Americans and the British fought over the borders with Canada.  The American armies

             tried to conquer Canada, but the British stopped them.  The British wanted to have control of Baltimore, New Orleans and Washington, D.C., our

             country's capital.
                 England and France were at war with each other from 1792 to 1814.  France controlled most of Europe.  England ruled the oceans with their   

             ships.  Britain needed more sailors for their Navy.  They had very few merchant ships, so they would capture American ships.  They put the

             American sailors and any British deserters found on the ship in jail.  The Americans became angry when their sailors were captured and taken

             prisoner by the British.
                 In 1807 the British ship Leopard attacked the American ship, USS Chesapeake.  Instead of going to war with England,

             President Thomas Jefferson asked Congress to pass an embargo.  American trade with any foreign country was restricted.  This hurt our country

             financially, because they had no incoming or outgoing trade.
             In 1810 a new Congress was elected.  In the new Congress there was a group known as War Hawks.  They wanted to go to war with England and

            invade Canada.  On June 18, 1812, President James Madison declared war on England even though the United States was not ready for war. 

            There were many battles on land and at sea.  Neither England or America were winning the war.
                 In March 1814 England defeated France.  Then the British were able to put all their attention to their war with America.  The British fought

            harder now and there were many battles on United States ground.
                 The War of 1812 was fought from June 1812 to the spring of 1815.  A peace treaty was signed in Ghent on December 24, 1814.  No one really

            won the war.  The United States was not able to invade Canada and the British did not take control of Baltimore and New Orleans.  Historians

            say that the War of 1812 confirmed America's independence from England and gave the settlers a reason to be proud of being Americans.