Madison's Blog

1. The Battle of Tippecanoe

The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought in 1811 between United States forces, led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory, and Tecumseh's growing American Indian Nation. It took place just outside Prophetstown, which is near present-day Battle Ground, Indiana. The battle was an important part of what is sometimes called "Tecumseh's War," which continued into the War of 1812. Although the U.S. side suffered many casualties, the battle was an important political victory for the U.S. forces.

2. Nationalism

Nationalism, by definition, is devotion to national interests, unity, and independence. In its simplest terms, nationalism is extreme pride in a nation. There are many different types of nationalism, including civic [civil] nationalism, ethnic nationalism, and cultural nationalism. Civic nationalism is when the state gets its power from the "active participation of its citizenry," and represents "the will of the people." Ethnic nationalism, also known as ethnonationalism is when the nation is "defined" by ethnicity, including cultures shared between people and their ancestors. Finally, cultural nationalism is when membership in the nation is determined by culture, and members may be considered outsiders if they are part of a minority culture.

3. Henry Clay

Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777, and lived until June 12, 2852, making him about 75 years old when he died. You're probably asking "What made this guy so important?" Well, he was a nineteenth century American statesman and orator [public speaker]. He represented the state of Kentucky in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. He was also an important figure in both the First Party [political] System, and the Second Party System after that, and as a War Hawk in Congress, serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he made a huge impact during his first congressional term. Despite his many failed attempts at presidency, he was the idol of soon-to-be President, Abraham Lincoln.

4. John C. Calhoun

John Caldwell Calhoun from South Carolina, lived from March 18, 1782 until March 31, 1850, to be 68 years old. He was a leader in U.S. Southern politics and became a political philosopher during the first half of the nineteenth century. He was best known a spokesperson for slavery, nullification [the act of declaring a law null or void], and the rights of electoral minorities, like the Southern States, and the founder of the short-lived Confederate States of America. After a short term in the South Carolina legislature, Calhoun served in many high federal-government offices. He became the seventh Vice President of the United States, under J.Q. Adams, then Andrew Jackson, then a member of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate the Secretary of War under James Monroe, and the Secretary of State under John Tyler.

5. War Hawks

A War Hawk, by definition, is a term originally used to describe a member of the U.S. House of Representatives of the Twelfth Congress who advocated waging war against Great Britain in the War of 1812. War Hawks were mostly young Republicans from Southern and western sates. For example, Henry Clay of Kentucky was a War Hawk in congress, and he made a huge impact on America.

6. Impressment

Impressment is the act of signing people up to serve in the military or navy, usually by force and without notice. During the early 1800's, impressment of American sailors by England and France was a considerable issue, which eventually led up to the War of 1812. During the war, France agreed to stop impressing American sailors and seizing American ships in hopes to gain their help in the War, although Britain did not. Despite the continuing rivalry between England and America, the British stopped impressing sailors and seizing ships after Napoleon was defeated in 1814, and never resumed.

7. Tecumseh

Tecumseh was born in the year of 1768 and died on October 5, 1813. He was a famous Shawnee [American Indian] leader who spent most of his life desperately trying to recruit and unify Native American tribes to defend Indian territory from the Americans, who were expanding into Western lands. This was especially true after the Louisiana purchase. He was semi-successful, although his small Indian nation was eventually defeated in the War of 1812, when Tecumseh died.

8. The War of 1812

The War of 1812 (A.K.A. The American War of 1812 - said to distinguish it from the war with Napoleon 1 of France that happened the same year) started in 1812 and ended in 1814. It occurred on both land and sea. The war was fought between America and The United Kingdom & its colonies, including Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Bermuda, and parts of Canada. On June 18, 1812, America declared war on Britain for a number of reasons, especially for the seizing and impressing of American ships and sailors. By the end of the war, in 1814, both America and Britain had experienced a considerable number of casualties.

9. The Hartford Convention

The Hartford Convention took place in the U.S., 1815, during the War of 1812. New England citizenz so strongly opposed the War that their succession from the United States was discussed. This was the Hartford Convention. On December 15, 1814 delegation from all five New England stated were arranged to meet in Hartford, Connecticut. Althogh the seccesion never actually happened, the Hartford had a large impact on the New England states and their connections with the rest of America.

10. Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson, who lived from March 15, 1767 until June 8, 1845, was the 7th President of the United States. He was also the military Governor of Florida, and commander of the American forces at the battle of New Orleans. One major event that occurred during his presidency was the War of 1812. All of Jackson's accomplishments as a very important political figure of the nineteenth century, shaped the modern Democratic Party.

11. The Treaty of Ghent

The Treaty of Ghent was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between America and the U.K. It was signed on December 24, 1814, in Ghent, Belgium. It greatly restored and improved relations between the two countries. It had a huge impact on the two countries, but due to the slow communication speed of that time, took two weeks for news of the treaty to reach America.