Lesson Plan #1 Causes of War of 1812

Introduction: This lesson introduces the important background information leading to the War of 1812, such as the main causes that triggered the declaration of war. Some of these causes that will be covered in this lesson include American expansionism into Native American territory, British violations of Americans maritime rights, and from discord between Great Britain and France stimulated by the French revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. This particular lesson utilizes the “Six Thinking Hat” framework introduced by Edward de Bono into the business world. Adapted for this lesson in the classroom, five “hats” will take the form of different stations while the factual, introductory white hat, which is based on facts, will be teacher-centered instruction at the beginning. Combined with the teacher and student-centered instruction, this lesson would most likely last ninety minutes, so depending on the period and school may span multiple class periods or days.

Objectives: Content/Knowledge (Head):

1. Student will be able to identify the three main causes of the War of 1812: expansionism, invasion of maritime rights, and discord between Great Britain, France, Americans, and Native Americans.

2. Student will be able to compare and contrast the views of the Americans versus the British during these times leading up to the war.

Process/Skills (Hands): 1. Student will be able to write a letter, placing himself or herself as an individual during

this time, to initiate an emotional response. 2. Student will be able to create a newspaper article based on one of the causes of the War

of 1812.

Values/Dispositions (Heart): 1. Student will learn about factors of conflict that lead to war. 2. Student will learn that there are two sides to every story and the impact one decision has

on the next.

Standards:

State – Illinois Social Science Learning Standards (2016) 1. SS.H.1.9-12: Evaluate how historical developments were shaped by time and place as

well as broader historical contexts. 2. SS.H.5.9-12: Analyze the factors and historical context that influenced the perspectives of

people during different historical eras. 3. SS.H.9.9-12: Analyze the relationship between historical sources and the secondary

interpretations made from them.

State – Common Core State Standards: Grades 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studies 1. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6: Compare the point of view of two or more authors for

how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

National Council for the Social Studies 1. NCSS II: Time, Continuity, and Change

Central Focus:

1. The students use facts to identify the main causes of the War of 1912, and they interpret and analyze primary sources such as letters and newspaper articles from this time period to draw their own conclusions about how the two different sides both reached the point where war was the final option.

Academic & Conceptual Foundation: Facts and Concepts

1. Throughout the Napoleonic Wars and the French Revolution, France and Britain both attempted to stop the United States from trading with the other countries.

2. The Berlin Decree, which was initiated on November 21, 1806, created Napoleon’s Continental System, “which impinged on U.S. neutral rights by designating ships that visited British ports as enemy vessels” (Encyclopedia Britannica).

3. The British Royal Navy impinged upon many American merchant ships, stating that they were looking for British deserters, but instead removed American citizens from the ships to put in the British navy.

4. The U.S. Congress was divided between the pro-war western and southern Republicans, also known as War Hawks, and the Federalists, or the New Englanders, opposed the idea of war.

5. British troops allied with Native Americans during the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 when William Henry Harrison led troops to destroy a Native American settlement at Prophet’s Town.

Inquiry, Interpretations, or Analyses

1. Native Americans believed the British, who occupied Canada, to be their best help and way for them to stop white American settlers from further taking their territory in the Northwest.

2. Settlers in America believed that removing the British from Canada would end their conflicts with Native Americans (Encyclopedia Britannica).

3. “Free trade and sailors’ rights” was a popular phrase used by American farmers or those removed from the sea by location because they still wanted to make money off of neutral shipping and continue the trade of their products.

Arguments or Conclusions 1. The student can decide whether they thought President Jefferson was correct in passing

the Embargo Act using the following information. An example of a conclusion is that President Jefferson passed the Embargo Act, which stopped all exports from the United States and most imports from Britain to attempt to place economic pressure on France and Britain so that the American merchants would be left alone. However, this was harmful for the American economy, and two years later, the Non-Intercourse Act replaced the Embargo Act.

Assessment:

Provide opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to do the following: understand/use facts and concepts; use inquiry, interpretation, or analysis skills to build and support arguments or conclusions.

Informal 1. The teacher will informally assess the students’ understanding, especially of the objective (white

hat), through the think-sheet provided for the introductory video and by further discussion of these questions between partners.

Formal

1. The teacher will formally assess the students’ understanding of the causes through the newspaper article they create using sources from each station: the positive, the negative, the creative, the process, and the intuitive. The teacher will utilize an assessment rubric for this project (See Assessment page on site).

Syntax – Procedures

1. White Hat – Objective:

a. Teacher Instructions 1. To begin, the teacher will pass out thinksheets for the students to fill out based on the

introductory video produced by John Green, “The War of 1812 – Crash Course US History #11.”

2. The teacher will then have the students watch this video as a fun way to introduce the causes of the War of 1812.

3. The teacher will then have the students pair up to discuss their findings and answers to questions from the video.

4. The teacher will pass out the graphic organizer and explain the directions for the activities after the students now have a factual basis on the causes of the War of 1812.

5. The teacher will explain that the students will complete the activity at each station; they can go to each station at any point but must go to all four. However, the creative station, or the green hat, will be the final “station” as the students will then begin their project at their desks after looking at the station’s directions. They will take notes on the graphic organizer that they will use to create a newspaper article as a final assessment as either a British paper or an American one.

b. Resource 1. “The War of 1812 – Crash Course US History #11” video produced by John Green (See

Resource 1.1) 2. Crash Course Think-Sheet (See Resource 1.2) 3. Station Activities Graphic Organizer (See Resource 1.3)

c. Student Activity 1. The students will receive a thinksheet over the Crash Course of the War of 1812. 2. The students will then watch the Crash Course and answer the questions on the

thinksheet. 3. The students will then find a partner to discuss their answers and interesting points they

found from the video. 4. Then, the students will receive their graphic organizer for the station activities.

2. Black Hat – Negative: a. Teacher Instructions

1. The teacher will provide directions at this station stating, “Analyze the following political cartoon, and answer the question on your thinksheet.”

b. Resource 1. Embargo Act Political Cartoon- 1807 (See Resource 1.5)

c. Student Activity 1. The student will analyze the primary source of the political cartoon and analyze why

some people criticized the Embargo Act of 1807. 3. Yellow Hat – Positive:

a. Teacher Instructions

1. The teacher will provide directions at the station stating, “Read the following letter written by President Thomas Jefferson to Elyot Brown, Jr. Esquire and answer the question on your thinksheet.”

b. Resource 1. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Elyot Brown, Jr. Esquire (See Resource 1.4)

c. Student Activity 1. The student will read the letter and identify the pros Jefferson remarks upon, such as:

avoidance of war and allow for justice from the British with the time given to them to correct their wrongs.

4. Blue Hat – Process: a. Teacher Instructions

1. The teacher will provide the following instructions, “Examine the following timeline and pinpoint a time when you think a choice could have been made to ensure war would occur.”

b. Resource 1. Timeline provided by PBS.org (See Resource 1.8)

c. Student Activity 1. The students will consider these variety of events as they examine this timeline leading up

to the declaration of war. They will pinpoint an event that they believe caused the leadership to fundamentally believe war was the best choice.

5. Red Hat – Intuitive: a. Teacher Instructions

1. The teacher will provide the following directions: “Read these two journal entries. One is from Anne Prevost, the daughter of General Sir George Prevost, Governor General of the British forces in Canada. The other journal entry is written by John Pendleton Kennedy, a recently recruited soldier in the Maryland Militia. Consider the differences in what they found important to write down as you read. Then, answer the question on your thinksheet.”

b. Resource 1. Journal entry from Anne Prevost, daughter of General Sir George Prevost,

Governor General of the British forces in Canada (See Resource 1.6) 2. Journal entry from John Pendleton Kennedy, a soldier in the Maryland Militia

(See Resource 1.7) c. Student Activity

1. The student will read each journal entry, taking note of the subjects of each letter. Then, they will consider how they would have reacted if they were in either person, or a bystander’s, shoes during this time.

6. Green Hat – Creative: a. Teacher Instructions

1. The teacher will provide these instructions on the white board as the final step or station for the students to attend. The directions will read as follows: “Time to create! Choose to be the publisher of either an American or a British newspaper chronicling the start of the War of 1812 that you are publishing in early 1813 to reflect on the past few months. You must include one large article written by yourself (the journalist), two pictures, and at least one political cartoon. The text needs to include at least three quotes from three different primary sources. The political cartoons and pictures (drawings, photographs, maps, etc.) can be found at the Library of Congress’s website. You may use references from the stations’ resources, but you MUST find at least one original photo or cartoon”

b. Resource 1. The students will be utilizing their resources from the stations to create a newspaper and

will use the Library of Congress database. Some resources they could potentially use can be found at the following link: https://www.loc.gov/photos/?q=war+of+1812.

c. Student Activity 1. The students will make the front page of a newspaper and research for additional

primary sources to complete the project.

Resources (Source Citations & Bookmarks) Resource 1.1: “The War of 1812 – Crash Course US History #11”

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMXqg2PKJZU

Resource 1.2: Crash Course Thinksheet

1. Why  do  you  think  John  Green  says  another  name  for  the  War  of  1812  could  have  been  “The  Revolutionary  War  Part  Deux”?  

 2. What  were  some  of  the  problems  with  citizenship  on  the  seas  between  Americans  

and  British?  

3. Were  the  War  Hawks  supportive  of  a  war?  Why  or  why  not?  

4. What  were  some  of  the  restrictions  the  British  attempted  to  place  to  prevent  American  trade  with  other  countries?      

5. Why  did  Americans  want  to  expand  into  Native  American  land?  

Resource 1.3: Graphic Organizer for Station Activities

Negative Positive Process

Intuitive

Creative

How does this political cartoon point out the cons of the Embargo Act of 1807? Why would the artist feel this way?

What are the pros Americans experienced in their trade relations with Britain from the Embargo Act according to Thomas Jefferson?

Pinpoint an event that occurred that you think made the declaration of war inevitable to the American government.

How did Anne Prevost react to the news of the start of the war? How do you think you would have reacted at the time if you were British? If you were American?

Create the front page of a newspaper chronicling the early events leading up to the War of 1812. You, as the journalist, must include one large article written by yourself (the journalist), two pictures, and at least one political cartoon. The text needs to include at least three quotes from three different primary sources. The political cartoons and pictures (drawings, photographs, maps, etc.) can be found at the Library of Congress’s website. You may use references from the stations’ resources, but you MUST find at least one original photo or cartoon.

Resource 1.4: Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to Elyot Brown, Jr. Esquire Elyot Brown Jr Esqr SIR, I have duly received the address of that portion of the citizens of [inserted: Stockbridge] who have declared their approbation of the present suspension of our commerce, and their dissent from the representation of those of the same place who wished its removal. A division of sentiment was not unexpected. On no question can a perfect unanimity be hoped, or certainly it would have been on that between war and embargo, the only alternatives presented to our choice; for the general capture of our vessels would have been war on one side, which reason and interest would repel by war and reprisal on our part. Of the several interests composing those of the United States, that of manufactures would of course prefer to war, a state of non-intercourse, so favorable to their rapid growth and prosperity. Agriculture, although sensibly feeling the loss of market for its produce, would find many aggravations in a state of war. Commerce and navigation, or that portion which is foreign, in the inactivity to which they are reduced by the present state of things, certainly experience their full share in the general inconvenience: but whether war would to them be a preferable alternative, is a question their patriotism would never hastily propose. It is not to be regretted, however, that overlooking the real sources of their sufferings, the British and French Edicts, which constitute the actual blockade of our foreign commerce and navigation, they have, with too little reflection, imputed them to laws which have saved them from greater, and have preserved for our own use our vessels, property and seamen, instead of adding them to the strength of those with whom we might eventually have to contend. The Embargo, giving time to the belligerent powers to revise their unjust proceedings and to listen to the dictates of justice, of interest and reputation, which equally urge the correction of their wrongs, has availed our country of the only honorable expedient for avoiding war: and should a repeal of these Edicts supercede the cause for it, our commercial brethren will become sensible that is has consulted their interests, however against their own will. It will be unfortunate for their country if, in the mean time, these, their expressions of impatience, should have the effect of prolonging the very sufferings which have produced them, by exciting a fallacious hope that we may, under any pressure, relinquish our equal right of navigating the ocean, go to such ports only as others may prescribe, and there pay the tributary exactions [sic] they may impose; an abandonment of national independence and of essential rights revolting to every manly sentiment: While these Edicts are in force, no American can ever consent to a return of peaceable intercourse with those who maintain them. I am happy in the approach of the period when the feelings and the wisdom of the nation will be collected in their representatives assembled together. To them are committed our rights, to them our wrongs are known, and they will pronounce the remedy they call for: And I hear with pleasure from all, as well those who approve, as who disapprove of the present measures, assurances of an implicit acquiescence in their enunciation of the general will. I beg leave through you to communicate this answer to the address on which your signature held the first place, and to add the assurances of my respect. Th:Jefferson Resource 1.5: Political Cartoon, 1807.

Resource 1.6: Journal Entry from Anne Prevost - June 25, 1812 “I was summoned in the midst of my French lesson to hear some news that had arrived. It was indeed an important piece of intelligence:–'America has declared War against England.' The news had arrived by an Express to some of the Quebec merchants. ...On this day I saw nothing before me but my Father's honour and glory. Although I knew how small a force we had to defend the Canadas, such was my confidence in his talents and fortune, that I did not feel the slightest apprehension of any reverse. I thought those abominable Yankees deserved a good drubbing for having dared to think of going to War with England, and surely there was no harm in rejoicing that the War had happened during my Father's Administration, because I thought he was the person best calculated to inflict on the Yankees the punishment they deserved." Resource 1.7: Journal Entry from John Pendleton Kennedy “Here I was, just out of college, in a very dashy uniform of blue and red, with a jacket and leather helmet, crested with a huge black feather, and surmounted by a particularly limber and, as I thought, graceful red one, with my white cross-belts, pure as pipe-clay could make them, my cartridge–box and bayonet, and a Harper’s Ferry musket of fourteen pounds, white drill pantaloons (blue in winter), with black gaiters. There I was, eighteen years of age, knapsacked, with blanket, canteen and haversack (generally a cold fowl, biscuit, fried tongue and bottle of wine in it), and detailed for a week’s duty at the fort. Talk about luxuries! I have had a good share of what goes by that name in my lifetime, but I have never had since any thing in that way that might be compared with the nights in the guardroom, and the routine of the sentinel’s duty in weather wet or dry, and in moonlit and

moonless midnights, to which I have been detailed at Fort McHenry.” Source: http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/essays/personal-journals-war/ Resource 1.8: Timeline Leading Up to War of 1812

War of 1812 Timeline of Major Events 1803 - 1811

1803: British begin to impress American sailors and force them to work on British Ships. January 1806: James Madison delivers a report regarding British interference and impressment of sailors. June, 1807: The American ship Chesapeake is fired upon by the British ship Leopard causing an international incident. Dec., 1807: Thomas Jefferson imposes an embargo on Great Britain but it results in economic disaster for American merchants and is discontinued in 1809. March, 1809: James Madison is inaugurated President of the United States. Nov., 1811: • War Congress convenes.

• The Battle of Tippecanoe (in present-day Indiana), considered the first

battle of the War of 1812, takes place between Tecumseh's brother, The

Prophet, and William Henry Harrison's army. 1812

June, 1812: America declares war on Great Britain. Source: http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/timeline/