Greetings, all.
Welcome back to our countdown.
As always, we’ve jumped all over the map this go-round, from record-setting high temperatures in normally freezing cold climes to 21st birthday memories to a whole lot of other stuff in between. You guys seem to like the variety, so let’s go back a few centuries.
Depending on what age you are, you may recall learning a lot about The American Revolution. You remember that, right? Yeah, that time back in the late 18th century when all those scrappy colonists decided they were just plain tired of British rule. And to prove it, they slugged it out with the Brits for the better part of eight years.
Along the way, of course, they found time to make it official, writing and signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, formerly stating their intention to separate from the British Empire.
And finally in September 1783, the Treaty of Paris essentially sealed the deal, and the United States became an independent nation.
What a lot of us probably forgot about (and dare I say, didn’t really learn all that much about in school) was a conflict that started less than 30 years after the Paris treaty.
The War of 1812
In June 1812, the then-fledgling United States declared war on Great Britain.
A common practice known as “impressment,” when the British Navy forcibly removed U.S. sailors from American merchant ships, forcing them to serve and fight on British crews, is often recognized as the initial spark of the war. That and disputes over territorial expansion in North America lead to that declaration of war.
Pivotal Events
- The Battle of Lake Erie – Under Commodore Oliver H. Perry, a naval officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island, American forces claimed victory, forcing the British to evacuate Fort Detroit. Perry, only 28 years old at the time, became one of many young American leaders who had yet to reach the age of 30.
- The Burning of Washington, D.C. – British forces invaded and captured the U.S. Capital in August 1814, setting fire to both the White House and the Treasury building. The event marked the first time a foreign power had occupied the U.S. since the American Revolution.
- The Battle of New Orleans – In December 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, Belgium and was intended to be a peace agreement between the United States and Great Britain. The Battle of New Orleans, however, began before the treaty was ratified and essentially was fought after the war had ended. It turned out to be a rousing victory for the U.S., and it galvanized its citizenry.
Though history will remember the War of 1812 as a draw, militarily, it became best known as the U.S.’s Second War for Independence.
Have a great night, my friends.
Will catch up with you tomorrow for Day 17.
JFish
@Copyright 2024 by John L. Fischer