American Revolution and the War of 1812

American Revolution (1775-1783)
Causes: Taxation of colonies following the French and Indian War which reversed the British policy of salutary neglect
Began: British shots fired at Lexington & Concord in April 1775
US Leaders: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, Nathanael Greene, Horatio Gates, Francis Marion, John Burgoyne, George Rogers Clark
British Leaders: King George III, Charles Cornwallis, Thomas Gage, William Howe
Battles: Bunker Hill, Princeton, Trenton, Saratoga, Kings Mountain, Cowpens, Yorktown
Outcome: Treaty of Paris- British recognized existence of the US as an independent nation, Mississippi River would be its western boundary, Americans would have fishing rights off the Canadian coast, American would pay debts owned to the British merchants and Loyalists claims for confiscated property
Legacy: Declaration of Independence, US wavers under the weak Articles of Confederation that led the creation of our Constitution
US Deaths: 6824


War of 1812 (1812-1815)
Causes: Continued British violation of US neutrality rights as sea, trouble with the British and Indians on the western frontier, rise of the War Hawks from the South & West
US President: James Madison
US Leaders: Oliver Hazard Perry, William Henry Harrison (Tippecanoe), Thomas MacDonough, Andrew Jackson (Old Hickory)
Battles: Invasion of Canada, Lake Erie, Thames, Lake Champlain, Horseshoe Bend, New Orleans, Fort McHenry, Invasion of Washington, DC
Outcome: Treaty of Ghent- Halted fighting, returned all conquered territory to prewar claimant, recognized the prewar boundary between Canada and the US
Legacy: US gained respect of other nations, US came to accept Canada as a neighbor and a part of the British Empire, Federalist Party ended due to actions at the Hartford Convention, talk of succession and disunion set a precedent later used by the South, Indians forced to surrender large areas to white settlements, US took a big step toward self-sufficiency due to British naval blockade, war heroes would emerge as the new generation of political leaders, strong feeling of American nationalism and a growing belief that the future lay in the West away from Europe
US Deaths: 2260