Today In History, 1812: The "War Of 1812" begins. Obviously a lot to go over here. This is going to be one of my longer threads, but even with that I'm leaving out so much. Enjoy. . .

This is during the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and France. Britain needed as many men as they could get, and so they were "pressing" American merchant shipmen into the Royal Navy: physically removing them from American ships and forcing them to join the British Navy

US Congress passed a bill in 1810 called "Macon's Bill" for either Britain or France to agree to cutting trade restrictions with them. Whichever nation accepted first, the US promised to end trade with the other nation. France accepted, and so the US cut off trade with Britain.

The US had recently purchased the Louisiana territory from France, doubling the size of the US, but there was a territory surrounding the great lakes where Britain still controlled and was cutting off western expansion. . .

Britain aligned themselves with the Shawnee Indian Chief "Tecumseh", who had created a Native confederacy. War was declared on June 18, 1812. American forces were rebelled crossing into Canada. The British advanced and took Detroit. . .

The US then scored a big victory in the great lakes, at the "battle of Lake Erie" - Allowing America to retake Detroit. The US followed that up with another huge victory against the Native Confederacy in the "Battle of the Thames", killing Tecumseh. . .

Meanwhile the British were blockading the US, not allowing ships to come or go. Britain began blocking slave ships and freeing thousands of slaves, promising any slave freedom if they crossed over to British lines. Thousands did and took up arms against the US.

Then in 1814 Napoleon had been defeated and exiled to Elba. This allowed the British to focus their attention on the United States. The British landed in Chesapeake bay, and then famously took Washington DC and burned it to the ground, including the White House. . .

The British were also funding the Creek Indians down south during the "Creek War", happening at the same time. By late 1814 Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek confederacy, forcing them to surrender 21 million acres in what is now southern Georgia and central Alabama. .

The Americans then repelled the British from taking New York and Baltimore - The latter providing the inspiration for the "Star spangled banner". . By the end of 1814 peace talks began. On December 24, 1814 the "Treaty of Ghent" was signed, ending the war. . . . But. . .

News traveled slow over the Ocean, so in January when Andrew Jackson began to battle the British in his stunning victory at New Orleans, news of the treaty was yet to reach. . . Luckily for us