1803 - 1811

1803:

British begin to impress American sailors and force them to work on British Ships.

January 1806:

James Madison delivers a report regarding British interference and impressment of sailors.

June, 1807:

The American ship Chesapeake is fired upon by the British ship Leopard causing an international incident.

Dec., 1807:

Thomas Jefferson imposes an embargo on Great Britain but it results in economic disaster for American merchants and is discontinued in 1809.

March, 1809:

James Madison is inaugurated President of the United States.

Nov., 1811:

War Congress convenes.

The Battle of Tippecanoe (in present-day Indiana), considered the first battle of the War of 1812, takes place between Tecumseh's brother, The Prophet, and William Henry Harrison's army.

1812

June, 1812:

America declares war on Great Britain.

June – August 1812:

Riots break out in Baltimore in protest of the war.

July, 1812:

General William Hull enters Canada. This is the first of three failed attempts made by the U.S. to invade Canada.

The British force the surrender of Fort Michilimackinac (in present-day Michigan).

August, 1812:

General William Hull surrenders to General Isaac Brock at Detroit.

October, 1812:

General Isaac Brock is killed at the Battle of Queenston Heights (Canada).

1813

January, 1813:

British and Indian allies repel American troops at the Battle of Frenchtown (present-day Michigan). American survivors are killed the following day in the Raisin River Massacre (present-day Michigan).

April, 1813:

U.S. troops capture and burn the city of York (present-day Toronto).

May, 1813:

The siege of Fort Meigs (present-day Ohio).

Sept., 1813:

Captain Perry defeats the British at the Battle of Lake Erie.

October, 1813:

The warrior Tecumseh is killed at the Battle of the Thames (Canada).

Nov., 1813:

The Battle of Crysler's Farm (Canada).

1814

July, 1814:

The Battle of Chippawa (Canada).

The Battle of Lundy's Lane (present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada).

Aug., 1814:

Peace negotiations begin in Ghent.

Aug. 24-25, 1814:

The British burn Washington, DC in retaliation for the burning of York. President James Madison flees the Capital.

Sept., 1814:

The Battle of Plattsburg on Lake Champlain is a major American victory, securing its northern border. The Battle of Baltimore takes place at Fort McHenry, where Francis Scott Key wrote The Star Spangled Banner.

Dec., 1814:

The Treaty of Ghent:  Americans and British diplomats agree to the terms of a treaty and return to the status quo from before the war.

1815

January, 1815:

Andrew Jackson defeats the British at the Battle of New Orleans.

February, 1815:

The Peace Treaty is ratified and President Madison declares the war over.