War Of 1812 Outline

On June 18, 1812, the United States officially declared war on Great Britain. It became known as the War of 1812. The War of 1812 was a major conflict between the United States and Great Britain regarding restrictions on United States trade, American seamen being impressed, and the burning desire of America to expand its territory. It was thought of as the perfect “get out of jail free” card for enslaved African Americans.
Unlike the British Army, the British Royal Navy forces didn’t have restrictions based on race for recruitment. The British Royal Navy was notorious for being the “floating hell” due to the very little to no pay, the conditions were horrendous, and the extremely possible risk of death. Therefore, very few people actually

The Royal Navy ships were used as part of the blockade with the American coast as a means of transportation. On some privateers more than half of the crew was black. African Americans made up about ten to twenty percent of the sailors onboard the American ships, manning while on the Great Lakes. Even though the main and initial purpose of the African American slaves was freedom, the black sailors had a reputation for “fierceness in battle.” The black sailors occupied small quarters and were away from shore several months at a time causing the men to develop a “camaraderie and mutual respect based on performance, not skin color.” (PBS "The War of 1812") The British quickly noticed that Black Americans had a lot of acquired knowledge about the complex landscape and waterways of the Chesapeake, Carolinas, Florida and Louisiana areas. Several of the African Americans were exceptionally skilled in crafts of shipbuilding and caulking which made sense considering most of the ships on the coast of Maryland and Virginia were guided strictly by African Americans. At the infamous Battle of Lake Erie, the black sailors had performed so well that Commodore Isaac Chauncey wrote to the Secretary of the Navy, overwhelmingly, praising their courage. One of the most influential moments of these times was when one of the main

The refugees only received occupation licenses, which allowed them to stay on their own land, but they, technically, weren’t entitled to anything. The land the refugees were left with was extremely poor quality which made farming very hard. In light of the unfortunate conditions, the Black Refugees developed their own African Baptist churches, schools and some of their families joined with previously existing communities of “Black Canadians” to create a popular culture and “mutually supportive community infrastructure which endures to this day.” (Tubman "The Black Refugees of the War of 1812") The slave owners, of course, were angered by the loss of what they felt were rightfully theirs and what they thought of as their “property,” so sent delegations to the British demanding that the immediate return of their slaves. While serving in the war, one of the main fears of the blacks was that the invading Americans would force them to return back to