Essential Questions Specialty Area 1
All students completing SA 1 are required to read the pages in the text related to their topic; and have a clear understanding of the broader issues related to War of 1812

PART I; CAUSES & BACKGROUND OF THE WAR OF 1812
1.  Explain the reason for the Napoleonic wars and their impact on International trade prior to the War of 1812.

2.  Analyze how Great Britain’s actions prior to the War of 1812 affected its relationship with the United States.
  • a.  What were impressments? Who was involved in impressments?
  • b.  Why did impressments occur?
  • c.  How did impressments lead to the incident with the U.S. Navy ship Chesapeake?
  • d.  What happened with the US Navy ship Chesapeake?
3.  Analyze the various acts passed by Congress prior to the War of 1812, and their impact on the nation.
  • a.  What was the Embargo Act?
  • b.  What impact did it have on U.S. Trade?
  • c.  What was the Non-Intercourse Act?
  • d.  What impact did it have on U.S. Trade?
  • e.  How were they similar?
  • f.   How were they different?
4.  Why did the United States declare war against Great Britain in 1812?

5.  Who were the War Hawks and why did they favor going to war with England?



Your Thesis:
SO WHAT?  While completing your research what conclusions did you draw? Why does this topic matter, how do the events you studied change history?  Write a one paragraph thesis that addresses what is important about this subject & what should people remember.
PART II: COURSE & CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR OF 1812
6.  Analyze the role of Native Americans in the War of 1812.
  • a.  Why were natives involved?  What did they hope to accomplish?
  • b.  Who was Tecumseh?
  • c.  What was his goal? For whom was he fighting?
  • d..  What battles did he lead during the War of 1812? What happened
  • e.  Why were U.S. officials worried by Native Activity during the War of 1812?
  • f.  How did the British help the Native Americans?

7.  Analyze the Battle of Lake Erie?.
  • a.  Where did it happen and who was involved?
  • b.  What occurred? What was the impact?

8.  Analyze and explain the invasion of Washington D.C. and the Battle of Fort McHenry.  Including the writing of the Star Spangled Banner.

9.  Where was the Battle of New Orleans? Who was involved, what occurred, what was the impact?

10.  Where was the Treaty of Ghent signed? What were the terms of the agreement?

11.  How did the War of 1812 prove the United States was a legitimate Nation?

​When completing your research on key battles be sure to not simply research troop movements and give a battle synopsis- include stories that make these battles real and relevant.

​​​Your Thesis:
SO WHAT?  While completing your research what conclusions did you draw? Why does this topic matter, how do the events you studied change history?  Write a one paragraph thesis that addresses what is important about this subject & what should people remember.

Web links to Research, Project Helps and Online Presentation Assitance

The "Project Assistance" button above will give you access to numerous websites that can assist you in creating web based projects.  Regardless of your chosen project take a few minutes to review the available web sites, you might find something you were not previously aware of that will be of interest to you!
The "Willowcreek Library Texts and Tools" button above will link you to the Alexandria Library.  Within the Alexandria library any books with the call number starting with "REF" or a number are informational texts, conversely any call number starting with "FIC", "PB", or "SC" are fictional texts.  To access books tagged for the Revolutionary war, go to the search page, type in  "Ness war of 1812", and hit search. on the top right hand corner click on the "find more" box. To assist in your search, go to the top drop down menu "unsorted" and sort by "Call Number", this will categorize the fiction and informational texts,posting the informational texts (excluding reference texts) on the top; in addition it will indicate the order of the texts on the stacks.  Identify the call number to find the text on the stacks.

Page Numbers in the Text Specialty Area 1

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Call to Freedom
Pages: 308-319

American History 
Pages: 368-381

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Discovering Our Past
Pages: Chapter 10, pages 278-289

Instructor Created Materials

CTF Readings to complete pg 58 in student workbook

Student Created Materials

Below are a number of student produced presentations on the War of 1812.  The most recent was presented 3/ 9/16 and presented by Savannah S.  Savannah does an outstanding job telling this unique and nuanced story.  The newspaper she created to illustrate her presentation is available on the right.
Following Savannah's work is an Audio Visual presentation (with games) on the War of 1812 by Danielle & Kennedy.  Watch it all the way through to see two distinct and unique presentations.  Following Danielle & Kennedy's presentation is a second presentation by Trent & Jake.  Both presentations will help you complete SA 18.

The War of 1812:  A. Cunningham

Suggested Websites for Specialty Area 

Suggested Novels for Specialty Area 1

Title: Abigail's drum 
Author: John A. Minahan ; illustrations by Robert Quackenbush. 
During the War of 1812, when British soldiers threaten the town of Scituate, Massachusetts, young Rebecca Bates and her sister Abigail, daughters of the local lighthouse keeper, find a way to save both him and the town. 
Title: Crooked river  
Author Shelley Pearsall 
Thirteen-year-old Rebecca Carver witnesses her 1812 Ohio settlement town's reaction to a Native American accused of murder and struggles with the idea that an innocent man may be convicted and sentenced to death. 
Title: Broken days  
Author: Ann Rinaldi. 
Sequel to: A stitch in time .In 1811, life with her Aunt Hannah in Salem, Massachusetts, becomes even more difficult for fourteen-year-old Ebie with the arrival of a half-Indian girl who claims to be the daughter of Hannah's sister, Thankful, and with the threat of impending war. 
Title: The second bend in the river 
In 1798 Rebecca, a young settler in the Ohio territory, meets the Shawnee called Tecumseh and later develops a deep friendship with him. 
Title: Whispers of war: The War of 1812 diary of Susanna Merritt  
Author: Kit Pearson 
"Niagara, Upper Canada, 1812"—Cover Beginning in 1812, eleven-year-old Susanna Merritt describes her experiences in Niagara Peninsula in Upper Canada on the eve of the War of 1812. 
Title: The invasion of Sandy Bay 
Author: Anita Sanchez 
A young boy plays a key role when the War of 1812 comes to his Massachusetts coastal village. 
Title: Flames in the city: A tale of the War of 1812 
Author: Candice Ransom ; illustrated by Greg Call 
With the aid of their magical spyglass, Mattie, Alex, and Sophie Chapman travel to Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812 to help Dolley Madison 
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See Below For Available Films and Podcasts Related to Specialty Area 

Crash Course in History: The War of 1812

John Green teaches you about the War of 1812. The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and its former colonial overlord England. It started in, you guessed it 1812. The war lasted until 1815, and it resolved very little. John will take you through the causes of the war, tell you a little bit about the fighting itself, and get into just why the US Army couldn't manage to make any progress invading Canada. And yes, Canadians, we're going to talk about the White House getting burned down. The upshot: no territory changed hands, and most of the other bones of contention were solved prior to the actual war. Although nothing much changed for the US and England, the Native Americans were the big losers. Tecumseh was killed, and the Indian tribes lost a lot of territory. Watch as John lays it all out for you.

Tecumseh: America's Last Stand

PBS Home VIdeo

War of 1812

The War of 1812 as shown on the History channel, and broken into smaller segments, unfortunately only five of the ten segments are available.
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"We Shall Remain, Episode 2:  Techumseh's vision

WE SHALL REMAIN 'Tecumseh's Vision', presented in 11 segments

In the spring of 1805, Tenskwatawa, a Shawnee, fell into a trance so deep that those around him believed he had died. When he finally stirred, the young prophet claimed to have met the Master of Life. He told those who crowded around to listen that the Indians were in dire straits because they had adopted white culture and rejected traditional spiritual ways. 

For several years Tenskwatawa's spiritual revival movement drew thousands of adherents from tribes across the Midwest. His elder brother, Tecumseh, would harness the energies of that renewal to create an unprecedented military and political confederacy of often antagonistic tribes, all committed to stopping white westward expansion. 

The brothers came closer than anyone since to creating an Indian nation that would exist alongside and separate from the United States. The dream of an independent Indian state may have died at the Battle of the Thames, when Tecumseh was killed fighting alongside his British allies, but the great Shawnee warrior would live on as a potent symbol of Native pride and pan-Indian identity
Produced by PBS Home Video, and American Experience of WGBH Boston, Executive Producer, Mark Samels.  
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And just for fun (you must know something to find this humorous)