War of 1812
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
The War of 1812 was fought between the British Empire and the United States from 1812 to 1815. In the end, there were few, if any, changes to things as a result of the war.
[change] Causes
The United States started the war because of several things. Some people in the United States wanted to assert full independence. Some people also wanted to expand into Canadian territory. Great Britain was fighting a war against France and Napoleon Bonaparte during the same time. Great Britain stopped many United States' ships from selling things to France during that war. Great Britain would also take Americans off United States' ships and make them work in British ships. This was called impressment. This angered many people in the United States.
[change] The fighting
There were many battles on both land and sea. The United States attacked Canada, but was beaten. The British invaded the United States, and actually burned down the White House. The American national anthem was written by Francis Scott Key during the war. Great Britain also stopped the United States from being able to trade with other countries by surrounding the United States with its ships.
Because of the small number of soldiers the British could send to help out their colonies in Canada because they were fighting Napoleon in Europe, a large part of the fighting happened between American soldiers and militia (soldiers who aren't in the army for a job, but volunteered) from the Canadian colonies.
The final battle of the war took place in January of 1815. The British attacked near New Orleans and were beaten by the Americans and General Andrew Jackson. The battle took place after the peace treaty had been signed. It was during this battle that the a poem was written by an American soldier. The poem was used as the new national anthem for the United States.
[change] Peace
The War of 1812 ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on Dec. 24 1814. The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, Belgium. Both sides thought they had won, but no changes really took place. During the Jan 8th, 1815 battle, the American forces won the Battle of New Orleans. News of the peace treaty did not reach the US until after this battle. There was no actual winner of the war, but many Americans say they won, and Canadians say they won and most British people don't really say anything about it.
