Lessons in American History
Using Primary Sources
A Series of Webquests
By Laura Thompson
UPS 2: Freedom Immediately Threatened
Historical Context – The
English and French were fighting one another. Napoleon would soon be on a rampage
through Europe. England and France fought for dominion over the seas.
International trade was endangered by piracy from the Barbary Coast and the
French and the English freely boarded American ships. By 1812, America and
Britain would be at war again…and the Americans would watch as the British
burned down the new capital city, Washington, DC.
Driving Question: Explain the importance of free trade and
sea travel to American industry and protection
Part A |
The following documents
present information about the threats to American independence in the decades
following the American Revolution. Examine each document carefully. In the
space provided, answer the question or questions that follow each document. |
Document
1 - http://www.billiesilvey.com/golden.html.
The Barbary Coast is a region of North Africa. During the 18th century many
western countries’ ships were harassed at sea by numerous crews of pirates. The
US Navy would finally defeat the Barbary Pirates and make the seas safe once
more. This link is an artistic interpretation of one event during the Barbary
war.
Describe some of the important elements in the picture
above. Explain what message the artist was trying to convey.
Document
2 - Copy of the broadside printed “In Defence of Fort McHenry” (available
at: http://www.bayjeneservices.com/Star_Spangled_Banner.html).
"The
Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of
America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem
written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key,
after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships
in Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. Read
the entire lyric.
What images in the poem inspire Americans to make it
into our national anthem? Explain.
Document
3 - http://moranmustangs.org/johnt/2010/01/08/the-war-of-1812-the-forgotten-war/.
During the War of 1812, British troops invade America and seize control of the
country's new capital, Washington—and burn it to the ground. View one artist’s
interpretation.
Describe some of the important elements in the picture
above. Explain what message the artist was trying to convey.
Document
4 - http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bbrooks/Missouri/lapurc/louisian.htm.
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson expands the boundaries of the new country
by acquiring a huge tract of land known as the Louisiana Purchase. Click to see
a map.
Explain some of the implications of geographical
expansion of the United States.
Document
5 - Clifford L. Egan,
"The Origins of the War of 1812: Three Decades of Historical
Writing," Military Affair, April 1974. There were actually some in the US who looked forward
to fighting Great Britain in 1812.
"Almost all accounts of the 1811–1812 period
have stressed the influence of a youthful band, the War Hawks, on Madison's policy.
According to the standard picture, these men were a rather wild and exuberant
group enraged by Britain's maritime practices, certain that the British were
encouraging the Indians and convinced that Canada would be an easy conquest
and a choice addition to the national domain. Like all stereotypes, there is
some truth in this tableau; however, inaccuracies predominate. First, Perkins
has shown that those favoring war were older than those opposed. Second, the
lure of the Canadas has been played down by most recent investigators." |
What are some of the reasons the War Hawks wanted to
go to war?
Document
6 - Dudley Mills,
"The Duke of Wellington and the Peace Negotiations at Ghent in 1814,"
Canadian Historical Review 2 (1): 19–32, 1921. By 1814, the Prime
Minister of England wanted to appoint the Duke of Wellington to commander in
Canada and finally win the war; Wellington said that he would go to America but
he believed he was needed in Europe. He also stated:
I think you have no right, from the state of war, to demand any
concession of territory from America...You have not been able to carry it
into the enemy's territory, notwithstanding your military success and now
undoubted military superiority and have not even cleared your own territory
on the point of attack. You cannot on any principle of equality in
negotiation claim a cessation of territory except in exchange for other
advantages which you have in your power... Then if this reasoning be true,
why stipulate for the uti possidetis ("as you possess")?
You can get no territory: indeed, the state of your military operations,
however creditable, does not entitle you to demand any. |
Why would a British war hero like Wellington say
England had no right to demand concessions from the US?
Part B |
How did the American
victory over the Barbary pirates and later the British in the War of 1812
raise American prestige as a military power especially at sea? |