War of 1812 Facts

 

The War of 1812 is one of the least studied wars in American history. Sometimes referred to as the “Second War of Independence,” the War of 1812 was the first large scale test of the American republic on the world stage. With the British Navy impressing American sailors, and the British government aiding Native American tribes in their attacks on American citizens on the frontier, Congress, for the first time in our nation’s history, declared war on a foreign nation: Great Britain. The War of 1812 brought the United States onto the world's stage and was followed by a half-decade now called the "Era of Good Feelings." 

 

African Americans were not officially allowed to join the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, although they served extensively in the U.S. Navy. Approximately one-quarter of the U.S. sailors at the Battle of Lake Erie were African American. Roughly 350 men of the “Battalion of Free Men of Color” fought at the Battle of New Orleans.

 

A company of mostly escaped slaves served with the British in Canada, participating in the Battle of Queenston Heights and the Siege of Fort Erie. 

 

During the Royal Navy’s blockade of the Atlantic seaboard, roughly 4,000 slaves escaped onto British ships, where they were welcomed and freed. Many of them joined the British military, participating in the Battle of Bladensburg and the burning of Washington, D.C.

 

Source:

American Battlefield Trust

March 30, 2017; Updated November 16, 2023

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/war-of-1812-faqs

Black History and The War of 1812, a story

 

Blacks fought on both sides though many fought for the same reason: freedom from chattel slavery [1]. In the Revolutionary War, black and white patriots fought together, which helped convince many Northern states to abolish slavery in the following years. For many free blacks in the North and enslaved in the South, there was a real hope that fighting in another war would create a pathway to emancipation.

 

Footnote by Blogger:

[1] Chattel Slavery: Slavery in which a person is owned as the legal property of another. (Merriam-Webster dictionary online)

 

Source:

African American Registry (AAREG)

Article author and date written were not stated.

https://aaregistry.org/story/black-history-and-the-war-of-1812-a-story/