What was the War of 1812?

Mira: Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com! I'm Mira!

Finn: And I'm Finn!

Mira: Before we start, we have some awesome listener shoutouts for you!

Finn: Yeah! A big shoutout to Victor and Llewelyn, who wanted to know what happened in the War of 1812 and what started it.

Mira: And a huge hello to Teddy, who is ten, Howard, who is eight, and Neil, who is six! They live in Cleveland, Ohio, and listen to every single episode in the car.

Finn: Neil specifically asked all about the Battle of Lake Erie, so this entire episode is dedicated to you three!

Mira: Now Finn, picture this. It is August twenty-fourth, 1814. An invading army is marching right through the capital city of the United States.

Finn: Wait, in Washington D.C.? The capital?

Mira: Exactly. And they don't just march through. They set fire to the United States Capitol building, and then they march right up to the President's house and set that on fire too!

Finn: They burned down the White House?! Did anyone save anything?

Mira: Yes! The First Lady, Dolley Madison, refused to leave until she had given the order to save a famous, life-sized portrait of George Washington. The household staff, including an enslaved man named Paul Jennings, broke the frame and carried the canvas away on a wagon!

Finn: That is wild! Who was burning it down, and why?

Mira: It was the British army. Now, we are diving into a strange and dramatic conflict where America and Britain went to war for a second time, Canadian forces defended their home, and Native nations fought for their survival. It is time for the War of 1812!

Finn: Okay, so to answer Victor and Llewelyn's question, what actually started the War of 1812?

Mira: Well, it had been about thirty years since America won the Revolutionary War, but Britain and America were definitely not getting along.

Finn: What were they fighting about this time?

Mira: A big reason was something called impressment. The British Royal Navy kept stopping American trade ships in the middle of the ocean.

Finn: Why would they do that? Were they looking for treasure?

Mira: No, they were looking for sailors! Britain was fighting a massive war against France, and they needed men. So they forced over six thousand American sailors to join British ship crews.

Finn: Six thousand? That's basically kidnapping!

Mira: Exactly. Plus, Britain was blocking America from trading with France. But there was another huge conflict happening on the American frontier.

Finn: Oh? Where exactly?

Mira: Out west, near the Great Lakes. American settlers kept pushing onto Native American lands. To stop this, a brilliant Shawnee leader named Tecumseh built a powerful confederacy of Native nations to defend their home.

Finn: So Tecumseh was bringing different tribes together into one big alliance?

Mira: Yes! It was an incredible achievement. And the British in Canada were trading with Tecumseh's confederacy, which made the Americans really angry.

Finn: I get it now. Stolen sailors, blocked trade, and fights over land. No wonder they went to war.

Mira: Right. So in June 1812, the young United States officially declared war on Great Britain. And their first big plan? Invade Canada!

Finn: Wait, why invade Canada? I thought they were mad at Britain?

Mira: Canada was a British colony back then! America thought it would be super easy to conquer. Thomas Jefferson, who used to be president, even said taking Canada would be a mere matter of marching.

Finn: Was it that easy?

Mira: Not even close! Every single invasion failed miserably. In July 1812, American General William Hull crossed the Detroit River into Canada.

Finn: Did he win?

Mira: Nope! He was so scared of British General Isaac Brock and Tecumseh's warriors that he retreated back to Fort Detroit. In August, Brock and Tecumseh tricked him by making their army look twice as big, and Hull completely surrendered!

Finn: Without even fighting a giant battle? That's embarrassing.

Mira: It gets worse for the Americans. On October thirteenth, 1812, American forces tried to cross the Niagara River to attack a place called Queenston Heights.

Finn: Did they make it across?

Mira: They did, and they climbed a massive cliff to take the high ground. But the Canadian militia, British soldiers, and about three hundred Mohawk warriors fought back fiercely.

Finn: So the Canadians and Native warriors defended their land?

Mira: Exactly. The Mohawk warriors let out terrifying battle cries that echoed across the gorge. The Americans were completely pinned down.

Finn: How many Americans were there?

Mira: A lot. But the defense was so strong that nearly one thousand American soldiers were captured that day. This is why Canadians remember the War of 1812 as a huge, successful defense of their country!

Finn: Okay, but what about Neil's question? When does the Battle of Lake Erie happen?

Mira: Right now! By September 1813, both sides knew that whoever controlled Lake Erie controlled the whole frontier. An American commander named Oliver Hazard Perry built a fleet of nine ships.

Finn: Nine ships? Against how many British ships?

Mira: Six. But the British ships had cannons that could shoot further. Perry's flagship, the Lawrence, was blasted to pieces! She was wrecked and helpless, and four out of every five men on board were hurt.

Finn: Did he surrender?!

Mira: No! He grabbed his battle flag, jumped into a tiny rowboat, and rowed through heavy cannon fire to another American ship, the Niagara. He took command, sailed right into the British line, and won the battle!

Finn: He rowed a tiny boat through cannon fire? That's like something out of a movie!

Mira: Winning Lake Erie let the Americans retake Detroit. But this led to tragedy for Tecumseh. At the Battle of the Thames in October 1813, Tecumseh was killed in combat, and his mighty Native confederacy collapsed.

Finn: Oh no. So what happened next between America and Britain?

Mira: Things got very destructive. In April 1813, American troops had attacked York, which is now Toronto. Against their general's orders, American soldiers burned down the Canadian parliament buildings.

Finn: Oh! Is this why the British burned Washington?

Mira: Yes! In August 1814, the British marched on Washington specifically as payback for York. British soldiers actually walked into the President's house, ate the dinner sitting on the table, and then set the whole building on fire!

Finn: They ate the President's dinner?! That is so rude!

Mira: It was chaos. But the British didn't stop there. A month later, they attacked Baltimore. They fired rockets and giant explosive shells at Fort McHenry for twenty-five straight hours!

Finn: Twenty-five hours? Did the fort survive?

Mira: It did! The next morning, an American lawyer named Francis Scott Key saw a giant American flag still waving over the fort. It was thirty feet tall and forty-two feet wide!

Finn: Whoa, that is the size of a house! Wait, Francis Scott Key... didn't he write a famous song?

Mira: He wrote a poem about seeing that massive flag, which later became the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner!

Finn: So how did the war finally end? Who won?

Mira: That is the strangest part. In December 1814, they signed the Treaty of Ghent. All the borders went exactly back to how they were before the war started.

Finn: Wait, so all that fighting, and nobody gained any land?

Mira: Right. Americans felt like they won a second war of independence, and Canadians successfully defended their home. But the real losers were the Native American nations. With Tecumseh gone, their lands were taken, and the treaty ignored them completely.

Finn: That is really unfair to the Native nations.

Mira: It was. Now for a quick fun fact! The building was already nicknamed the White House before the fire because of its protective whitewash! It just wasn't officially called the White House until decades later.

Finn: I always thought they painted it white just to cover up all that toasted fire damage!

Mira: Alright Finn, it is time for the quiz! Are you ready?

Finn: I am totally ready! Let's do this.

Mira: Okay, first question - In what year did the United States officially declare war on Great Britain?

Mira: Next one, this is tricky - What was it called when the British navy forced thousands of American sailors to join their crews?

Mira: Question three - What was the name of the brilliant Shawnee leader who built a massive Native confederacy?

Mira: Alright, here's number four - Who gave the order to save the famous portrait of George Washington before the President's house burned down?

Mira: Last question! - What famous poem, written after the battle at Fort McHenry, became the national anthem?

Mira: Great job! Let's see how you did!

Mira: The answer to question one is - They declared war in 1812!

Mira: For question two - That kidnapping practice was called impressment.

Mira: Number three, the answer is - It was Tecumseh!

Mira: Question four - Dolley Madison! She ordered it saved, and the household staff, including an enslaved man named Paul Jennings, got it out.

Mira: And the final answer is - Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner!

Finn: I can't believe how much action happened in just a few years. Saving a giant painting right before a building burns down is so brave.

Mira: It really was! History is full of incredible moments like that.

Finn: Hey listeners, if you thought Dolley and Paul were heroes for getting that painting out, be a hero to our show and leave us a five-star review!

Mira: Yes please! Just scroll down on your podcast app and tap those five stars. It helps us so much.

Finn: Oh, and don't forget to check out our site kidopoly.com! We've got tons of awesome learning games and activities there.

Mira: Definitely head over to kidopoly.com! And if you want a shoutout on the show, or just want to tell us your favorite historical fact, send us an email at hello@kidopoly.com.

Finn: Thanks so much for learning with us!

Mira: See you next time on History's Not Boring!

Finn: Bye!