# data[].attributes.body
Industrialization was a time period in the United States when the growth of factories and mass producing companies grew at an exponential rate. This caused many of the lower and middle class to move to bigger cities where there were more jobs available. This eventually lead to overpopulation in cities. The economic growth that occurred during this time was the greatest in the history of the country.

Source:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "industrialization". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/topic/industrialization. Accessed 27 December 2021.

# data[].attributes.body
Despite common belief, the war of 1812 did not only last a year. The treaty which ratified the dispute was signed on February 17th, 1815. France was growing more and more agitated with Britain at the beginning of the 19th century, so much so a war broke out. The United States aimed to help its French allies but found themselves at the mercy of the British fleet. However, a new found sense of patriotism arose in the country and the Americans were able to defeat the British on American soil. The Ratification ended the war but some considered the War of 1812 to be a "second war for Independence."

Source:
History.com Editors. “War of 1812.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/war-of-1812/war-of-1812.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Table of Contents

1. Causes of the War of 1812

2. The War of 1812 Breaks Out

3. War of 1812: Mixed Results for American Forces

4. Inspiration for 'The Star Spangled Banner'

5. End of the War of 1812 and Its Impact

6. Impact of the War of 1812

In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country's future. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy's impressment of American seamen and America's desire to expand its territory.

The United States suffered many costly defeats at the hands of British, Canadian and Native American troops over the course of the War of 1812, including the capture and burning of the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., in August 1814. Nonetheless, American troops were able to repulse British invasions in New York, Baltimore and New Orleans, boosting national confidence and fostering a new spirit of patriotism. The ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 17, 1815, ended the war but left many of the most contentious questions unresolved. Nonetheless, many in the United States celebrated the War of 1812 as a "second war of independence," beginning an era of partisan agreement and national pride.

Causes of the War of 1812

At the outset of the 19th century, Great Britain was locked in a long and bitter conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte's France. In an attempt to cut off supplies from reaching the enemy, both sides attempted to block the United States from trading with the other. In 1807, Britain passed the Orders in Council, which required neutral countries to obtain a license from its authorities before trading with France or French colonies. The Royal Navy also outraged Americans by its practice of impressment, or removing seamen from U.S. merchant vessels and forcing them to serve on behalf of the British.

In 1809, the U.S. Congress repealed Thomas Jefferson 's unpopular Embargo Act, which by restricting trade had hurt Americans more than either Britain or France. Its replacement, the Non-Intercourse Act, specifically prohibited trade with Britain and France. It also proved ineffective, and in turn was replaced with a May 1810 bill stating that if either power dropped trade restrictions against the United States, Congress would in turn resume non-intercourse with the opposing power.

After Napoleon hinted he would stop restrictions, President James Madison blocked all trade with Britain that November. Meanwhile, new members of Congress elected that year-led by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun-had begun to agitate for war, based on their indignation over British violations of maritime rights as well as Britain's encouragement of Native American hostility against American westward expansion.

Did you know? The War of 1812 produced a new generation of great American generals, including Andrew Jackson, Jacob Brown and Winfield Scott, and helped propel no fewer than four men to the presidency: Jackson, John Quincy Adams, James Monroe and William Henry Harrison.

The War of 1812 Breaks Out

In the fall of 1811, Indiana's territorial governor William Henry Harrison led U.S. troops to victory in the Battle of Tippecanoe. The defeat convinced many Indians in the Northwest Territory (including the celebrated Shawnee chief Tecumseh) that they needed British support to prevent American settlers from pushing them further out of their lands.

Meanwhile, by late 1811 the so-called "War Hawks" in Congress were putting more and more pressure on Madison, and on June 18, 1812, the president signed a declaration of war against Britain. Though Congress ultimately voted for war, both House and Senate were bitterly divided on the issue. Most Western and Southern congressmen supported war, while Federalists (especially New Englanders who relied heavily on trade with Britain) accused war advocates of using the excuse of maritime rights to promote their expansionist agenda.

In order to strike at Great Britain, U.S. forces almost immediately attacked Canada, which was then a British colony. American officials were overly optimistic about the invasion's success, especially given how underprepared U.S. troops were at the time. On the other side, they faced a well-managed defense coordinated by Sir Isaac Brock, the British soldier and administrator in charge in Upper Canada (modern Ontario).

On August 16, 1812, the United States suffered a humiliating defeat after Brock and Tecumseh's forces chased those led by Michigan William Hull across the Canadian border, scaring Hull into surrendering Detroit without any shots fired.

War of 1812: Mixed Results for American Forces

Things looked better for the United States in the West, as Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's brilliant success in the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813 placed the Northwest Territory firmly under American control. Harrison was subsequently able to retake Detroit with a victory in the Battle of Thames (in which Tecumseh was killed). Meanwhile, the U.S. navy had been able to score several victories over the Royal Navy in the early months of the war. With the defeat of Napoleon's armies in April 1814, however, Britain was able to turn its full attention to the war effort in North America.

As large numbers of troops arrived, British forces raided the Chesapeake Bay and moved in on the U.S. capital, capturing Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1814, and burning government buildings including the Capitol and the White House.

Inspiration for 'The Star Spangled Banner'

On September 11, 1814, at the Battle of Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain in New York, the American navy soundly defeated the British fleet. And on September 13, 1814, Baltimore's Fort McHenry withstood 25 hours of bombardment by the British Navy.

The following morning, the fort's soldiers hoisted an enormous American flag, a sight that inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem that would later be set to music and become known as " The Star-Spangled Banner." (Set to the tune of an old English drinking song, it would later be adopted as the U.S. national anthem.) British forces subsequently left the Chesapeake Bay and began gathering their efforts for a campaign against New Orleans.

End of the War of 1812 and Its Impact

By that time, peace talks had already begun at Ghent (modern Belgium), and Britain moved for an armistice after the failure of the assault on Baltimore. In the negotiations that followed, the United States gave up its demands to end impressment, while Britain promised to leave Canada's borders unchanged and abandon efforts to create an Indian state in the Northwest. On December 24, 1814, commissioners signed the Treaty of Ghent, which would be ratified the following February.

On January 8, 1815, unaware that peace had been concluded, British forces mounted a major attack in the Battle of New Orleans, only to meet with defeat at the hands of future U.S. president Andrew Jackson 's army. News of the battle boosted sagging U.S. morale and left Americans with the taste of victory, despite the fact that the country had achieved none of its pre-war objectives.

Impact of the War of 1812

Though the War of 1812 is remembered as a relatively minor conflict in the United States and Britain, it looms large for Canadians and for Native Americans, who see it as a decisive turning point in their losing struggle to govern themselves. In fact, the war had a far-reaching impact in the United States, as the Treaty of Ghent ended decades of bitter partisan infighting in government and ushered in the so-called "Era of Good Feelings."

The war also marked the demise of the Federalist Party, which had been accused of being unpatriotic for its antiwar stance, and reinforced a tradition of Anglophobia that had begun during the Revolutionary War. Perhaps most importantly, the war's outcome boosted national self-confidence and encouraged the growing spirit of American expansionism that would shape the better part of the 19th century.

HISTORY Vault

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country's future.

# data[].attributes.body
The California Gold Rush of 1849 was the largest immigration west the United States had ever seen.

# data[].attributes.body
From 1800-1860
Characteristics:
1. Feeling valued
2. Believed faith to be an inner experience and emphasized the power of imagination.
3. Thought nature was a path to spirituality and disliked anything artificial.
4. Loved individual freedoms and individual worth.
5. Had a high regard for poetry.
6. Used a Gothic style of romance, typically dark and supernatural.

Authors of the time included
Washington Irving: "Rip van Winkle"
Emily Dickinson: Many poetry works
Walt Whitman: Leaves of Grass
Edgar Allan Poe: "The Raven"
Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter

# data[].attributes.body
Romanticism had a high regard for the arts. Music, poetry, painting and many other art forms were blooming during this era. The Era was also against the current enlightenment era which preferred thought and reason over feelings and spirituality.

Source:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Romanticism". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism. Accessed 27 December 2021.

# data[].attributes.body
One of the most famous writers of his time and Author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist. He was born in 1804 in Salem. His ancestors had lived in Salem since the 1600's, his earliest ancestor being William Hawthorne.

Source:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Nathaniel Hawthorne". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nathaniel-Hawthorne. Accessed 27 December 2021.

# data[].attributes.body
After moving away from Salem, Hawthorne later moved back in 1825 after graduating from Bowdoin College. Three years after President Taylor was elected, Hawthorne lost his job. Through this hardship, he was able to produce one of his greatest masterpieces, The Scarlet Letter.

Source:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Nathaniel Hawthorne". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nathaniel-Hawthorne. Accessed 27 December 2021.

# data[].attributes.body
The witch trials were said to have begun in 1692 when a group of young girls were claimed to be possessed by the devil. The "witch-like" behavior was often described by delusions, vomiting, and muscle spasms. Interestingly enough, these symptoms are also caused by a type of fungus found in wheat.

Source:
History.com Editors. “Salem Witch Trials.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 4 Nov. 2011, https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials.

# data[].attributes.body
McCarthyism was founded by the Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy during the Cold War. In the fight against Communism, McCarthy spread many rumors about members of various government departments in attempt to "root out communism." However, when these allegations proved themselves to be false in the 1954 McCarthy hearings, the downfall of McCarthy was evident.

Source:
Achter, Paul J.. "McCarthyism". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/topic/McCarthyism. Accessed 27 December 2021.

# data[].attributes.body
Hughes was one of the first prominent African American poets and writers of his time. He was born in 1901 and lived with his grandmother and mother. Even though his mother was an important figure in his life, they had a more complicated relationship than one might think. His mother was in and out of his life which did not help their relationship. Hughes also wrote almost any genre one could think of, breaking away from stereotypical black poetry. Hughes died in 1967 from prostate cancer.

Source:
Davis, Christine. “9 Things You Should Know about Langston Hughes.” – KU College Stories, 31 Jan. 2018, https://blog-college.ku.edu/9-things-you-should-know-about-langston-hughes/.

# data[].attributes.body
Dickinson was born on December 10th, 1830, in a small home located in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was known to have written many poems in her lifetime, close to 1,800 some guess. However, of these only 10 have been published. Little is known about her childhood except she loved to stay indoors and write. She spent the first nine years of her life in a mansion in Amherst. She never married which was uncommon for women at the time, however she was very religious which may have played a part in this. She died at the age of 55 on May 15th 1886.

Source:
Habegger, Alfred. "Emily Dickinson". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emily-Dickinson. Accessed 27 December 2021.

# data[].attributes.body
Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29th, 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She is best known for her book Little Women, and later, Little Men. As the daughter of a transcendentalist, Alcott's education was under the thumb of her father. She began as a teacher but quickly after she started that job she transitioned to writing. She died on March 6th, 1888 at the age of 55.

Source:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Louisa May Alcott". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louisa-May-Alcott. Accessed 27 December 2021.