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1301 Lecture 31 Road to War — Transcript

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0:02greetings once again 1301
0:05well the us is about to enter a very
0:08nasty period
0:11as i alluded to at the end of the last
0:13lecture
0:15the war in europe that started in 1793
0:19still going on burned uh you know we're
0:21in 1801 now jefferson's first year as
0:23president
0:24it's still going on and we have a hand
0:27out here for you
0:31jefferson and the americans are claiming
0:35that in the war over in europe the
0:38united states is neutral
0:40we are not taking sides therefore the
0:43united states is entitled
0:45to what are called neutral rights
0:48in this case that means that the united
0:51states
0:52as a neutral still has the right
0:56to trade with the warring powers in
0:58europe mainly the british and the french
1:01we are neutral in the war we want to
1:03carry on business
1:04as usual with the warring powers
1:08since we are neutral we can carry on
1:10business as usual with the british
1:12we can carry on business as usual with
1:15the french
1:16neutral rights
1:19well the british and the french don't
1:20quite see it that way look at
1:22number one on your sheet there the
1:25british passed something called the
1:26orders in council
1:30in this war the british blockade french
1:32ports the british have the largest navy
1:34in the world
1:35in this war the british blockade french
1:37ports and capture ships
1:39american included heading for france the
1:42british
1:43don't care if a ship is neutral
1:47if it's from the us any ship heading to
1:50france is liable
1:52to be captured by the british
1:55navy you know even though the us is
1:58neutral
1:59the us wants to trade with france and
2:01france can use that american
2:03trade material in their war effort
2:06the french countered the continental
2:08system the french would capture ships
2:11american included that complied with
2:13british trade regulations
2:14so if the american ships want to trade
2:17with great britain
2:19they're liable to be captured by the
2:21french and the french don't care if the
2:23us is neutral
2:24again u.s goods could help the british
2:26in their war effort
2:28so the us claims neutral rights we are
2:31neutral
2:32in the war we can trade with whoever we
2:36want we can carry on business
2:38as usual with the warring powers british
2:41and the french don't see it that way
2:43and establish these two policies
2:46which threatens the capture of american
2:48ships
2:50now something else the british are doing
2:54something called impressment
3:01now this is not the british trying to
3:03impress
3:04anybody no grab your book go to page 344
3:07344 impressment this is a policy that
3:10british have been using quite routinely
3:13impressment with loyal page 344
3:17under impressment how convenient
3:20for american sailors the danger on the
3:22high seas was heightened by the practice
3:23of
3:24impressment whereby british warships
3:27stopped us vessels boarded them and
3:30kidnapped sailors they claim were
3:31british citizens
3:33if you look down the next paragraph the
3:35british often did not bother to
3:36determine the citizenship of those they
3:39impressed into service as a british
3:42officer explained
3:43it is my duty to keep my ship manned and
3:45i will do so
3:46wherever i find men that speak the same
3:48language with me
3:50so the the british would stop these
3:51american ships trying to trade with
3:53france
3:54the british a warship a british warship
3:57would stop the american merchant ship
4:01british troops would board the american
4:02ships have the american crew lined up
4:05and a british officer would say well you
4:06you you you you
4:08are british deserters from the british
4:10navy you are coming with us
4:12and one of these americans could say no
4:14i was born in the united states i was
4:16born in all let's say massachusetts
4:20well the british officer would say can
4:22you prove it while i don't carry around
4:23my birth certificate
4:24well you're coming with me then you are
4:26now we are we're accusing you of being a
4:28deserter from the british navy
4:30and apparently the uh
4:34there were a lot of british deserters on
4:36american ships the pay was much better
4:38the the conditions were much better so
4:40yeah there were deserters
4:42british deserters on these american
4:44ships and sometimes the british would
4:46get somebody you know
4:47they would all line the crew up and
4:49maybe a
4:50a crew member of the british ship would
4:51say oh hey i recognized them we served
4:53on a british ship together
4:55all right but still they would take
4:57americans
4:58born in the united states as your book
5:01says
5:03in the last sentence there between 1803
5:06and 1811
5:07some 6200 american sailors were
5:10impressed
5:11into the british navy well so
5:14yeah they would kidnap american citizens
5:16saying you were british deserters
5:19well there were those in the united
5:22states who wanted war over this but
5:24jefferson
5:24decided you know not to go to war over
5:27this instead
5:28jefferson decided to fight back
5:30economically
5:31jefferson is going to wage economic
5:34warfare
5:35against the british and the french in an
5:38attempt
5:38to get them to drop these trade
5:40regulations
5:42uh if you look at number three and this
5:44is also on page 344
5:45near the bottom there congress passed
5:48and jefferson signed into law
5:50the embargo act this was december 1807.
5:55december 1807 the embargo united states
5:57is going to try to fight back
5:59economically economic warfare
6:02under the embargo act american ships
6:04were prohibited with trading
6:06american ships are prohibited from
6:08trading with europe not just great
6:10britain
6:10not just france but all of europe
6:13americans
6:14could not trade with europe period
6:18and also any no foreign ships could
6:21leave american ports
6:23so if there was a foreign ship in an
6:24american port
6:26not just british not just french any
6:28foreign ship they could not leave that
6:30ship could not leave
6:31an american port
6:35now this is uh
6:39excuse me it's sort of an attempt
6:44this is not only fighting back against
6:45the british and the french
6:47but trying to force other european
6:49countries
6:50who could not trade with the united
6:52states anymore who would not have their
6:54ships released from american ports
6:56it was an attempt to get other european
6:58powers to put pressure on the british
7:00and the french
7:01to drop their trade regulations so that
7:03those european countries could once
7:04again trade with the united states
7:06so that their ships would get released
7:09well it didn't work it did not work
7:14as a result of the embargo act
7:19foreign imports into the united states
7:27foreign imports into the united states
7:30between 1807 and 1808
7:36foreign imports in the united states
7:38dropped over 144 million
7:45to 58 million as your book says
7:48u.s exports if you look on page 345
7:52h345 here u.s exports
7:56plummeted from 48 million
7:59in 1807 to 9 million
8:03in 1808.
8:07tariffs plunged tariffs plunged
8:16terrorist funds you know the tax on
8:17imported goods because
8:19imports dropped from 144 million 58
8:21million
8:22tariffs dropped
8:28from 18 million to 8 million and of
8:31course
8:32oops sorry of course remember
8:36the tariff is one of the main sources of
8:38revenue
8:39for the government the other being land
8:40sales so there's a big drop
8:42in government revenue everything's bad
8:46american imports drop american exports
8:48drop american tariff rates drop
8:52it's having the opposite effect this
8:55embargo act
8:56is harming the united states more than
8:58it is the europeans
9:00and really as a result of the embargo
9:03act
9:03a depression hit the united states in
9:061808 a depression hit the united
9:08states it has the total opposite
9:11effect well
9:15in march
9:181809 just a few days
9:23before thomas jefferson left the
9:25presidency the embargo act
9:27was repealed it was a little too late
9:34it says in the book on page 345
9:38the federalists are still around they're
9:40federalists especially in new england
9:41where merchants howl because the embargo
9:43cut off their primary industry ocean
9:45going commerce
9:46value of u.s exports plummet 48 billion
9:49to 9 million
9:50uh federal terror revenue from
9:52terrorists plunged 18 million 8 million
9:54ship building declined by two-thirds
9:57farmers and planters in the south and
9:58west suffered as prices for export
10:00crops were cut in half new england's
10:02once thriving port cities
10:04became ghost towns thousands of ships
10:07and sailors
10:08were out of work brought on a depression
10:13and eventually just three days before
10:15jefferson left the presidency
10:16it was repealed but a little too late
10:19now hang on can you raise the board
10:26jefferson does not run for re-election
10:31in 1808 and he he's elected in 1800
10:34remember with that very controversial
10:36election
10:38where there's a tie has to be decided by
10:40the house he
10:41is re-elected by a wide margin in 1804
10:46or say yes 1804 but in 1808
10:50jefferson decides not to run for
10:52reelection
10:54so the the republican candidate
10:57is james madison
11:04a role buddy remember james madison a
11:06real buddy he opposed the hamilton
11:08programs for various reasons
11:11uh the federalist candidate is
11:17charles painting you've seen him before
11:22and madison wins this election rather
11:23easily
11:25[Music]
11:26he gets 122 electoral votes pinkpink
11:29gets 47
11:30and a new guy george clinton
11:34george clinton not being confused with
11:36bill clinton
11:38he actually gets six electoral votes but
11:40madison wins
11:42rather easily all right hang on
11:47so madison wins so he's elected
11:49president and of course he walks into
11:51this
11:51this this mess with uh with all this
11:54trade wars
11:55madison decides to continue
11:59excuse me madison decides to continue
12:02jefferson's policy of economic warfare
12:06but he's going to do it a little
12:07differently
12:09look at uh number four on the sheet
12:12number four
12:13uh the republican congress passes and
12:16president madison signs into law
12:19the non-intercourse act this is in
12:211809's jefferson are assuming madison's
12:23first year as president
12:25not an intercourse act by the way this
12:27was not this was not
12:29a a government safe sex program can i
12:32say that word
12:33scx well he just did this is not a
12:35government safe sex program
12:37wink wink week get it get it get it i
12:39try folks
12:40not intercourse that has to do with
12:42trade under the non-intercourse act
12:44americans could trade with all countries
12:47except
12:48britain and france all right so we're
12:49going to trade with everybody else again
12:52but not britain and france by the way
12:55it's 1809 now
12:56as you notice the war in europe is still
12:58going on it's it's
13:0016 years now now however a little
13:03incentive here
13:04if britain or france repealed their
13:06trade regulation
13:07the united states would renew
13:09non-intercourse with the other
13:11so americans can trade with all
13:13countries except britain and france
13:14however
13:15if the british dropped their orders in
13:17council
13:19the americans would then continue
13:22the americans would then start trading
13:24with the british if the french dropped
13:26the continental system
13:28then the us would start trading with the
13:29french so a little incentive there
13:34well this one didn't work either
13:38didn't work either all right so madison
13:42decides to try something else and this
13:43is number five on your hand out there
13:45he's going to try a new
13:46i'm going to try a new tactic uh macon's
13:49bill number two
13:51i actually looked up what macon's bill
13:52number one was one time
13:54long time ago and quite frankly i don't
13:56remember but
13:57this is 1810 war is still going on
14:00all right megan's bill number two
14:03american trade with great britain and
14:04france is renewed all right so we're
14:06going to trade with the british
14:07and the french again this is madison's
14:10trying a new tactic here
14:11we're going to trade with the british
14:13we're going to trade with the french
14:14again however
14:16if either one repealed their trade
14:18regulations the us
14:19would renew non-intercourse with the
14:22other
14:23so we're going to trade with the british
14:24again or trade with the french again
14:26however
14:26should the british drop the owners in
14:28council
14:30americans will no longer trade with the
14:32french
14:34if the french drop the continental
14:36system americans will
14:38no longer trade with the british
14:41so little incentive here you drop your
14:44trade regulations
14:45we will stop trading with your enemy in
14:48the war
14:49okay a little incentive there
14:52well this one
14:56has some maybe success
15:01remember napoleon this is 18
15:041810 now napoleon still in charge in
15:07france
15:09napoleon once again claiming he loves
15:12americans
15:14and concerned for the prosperity of
15:16americans
15:17napoleon announces in november night
15:201810
15:22that the french are dropping
15:25the continental system finally something
15:29worked
15:29the french going to drop the continental
15:31system and in february
15:33he announces that november 1810 and in
15:36february
15:361811 the united states
15:40stops trade with the british
15:44just like macon's bill number two states
15:47french dropped continental system the
15:50united states announces we will no
15:51longer trade with the british
15:54however the french didn't really follow
15:57through on that
15:58as the french continue to capture
16:00american ships
16:03meanwhile the british are continuing to
16:05capture american
16:20well hang on
16:27eventually madison has
16:31enough
16:34the united states broke diplomatic
16:36relations with great britain now
16:38in europe breaking diplomatic relations
16:41with another country generally means
16:42that the next step is war
16:44madison's still hoping to avoid war here
16:46but hopefully breaking diplomatic
16:48relations will put some more pressure on
16:49the british
16:50to drop the orders of council doesn't
16:52work well
16:53eventually the american embargo against
16:57the british
16:58as a result of macon's bill number two
17:00and the breaking of diplomatic relations
17:03has some success
17:10on june 16 1812 the british
17:14feeling the embargoes impact merchants
17:17in great britain
17:18are putting pressure on the british
17:20government to drop the euros and council
17:22merchants in great britain are losing
17:24money because they're not trading with
17:26the americans
17:27so in june 16 1812 the british feeling
17:30the impact of the economic embargo
17:34announce they are repealing the orders
17:37in council
17:40finally economic warfare work now
17:42economic warfare can work
17:44it just takes a long time to work
17:48embargoes can work but they take a long
17:50time as you can see all this started
17:52in 1807 and you know it took three years
17:57it started in 1807 with the embargo act
17:59and it took like two and a half years
18:01to work from from december
18:051807 to june 1810 about two and a half
18:08years
18:08but it worked however however
18:1415 days prior to this
18:18on june 1 1812 president madison
18:22finally had enough president madison has
18:25had enough
18:26and he goes and he asks congress for a
18:29declaration of war now remember only
18:30congress can declare war
18:32madison has enough he asked congress for
18:35a declaration of war
18:40on june 4
18:44the house approved of a declaration of
18:46war by a vote of
18:5179-49 and then
18:54on june 18th
19:06the senate voted 19-13 in favor of war
19:10it just takes a simple majority of each
19:12house of congress to declare
19:13war and that was had of all the times
19:16the united states has declared war five
19:18times
19:19this is by far the closest vote to
19:21declare war
19:23so as of june 18 1812 the united states
19:26and great britain are at war
19:28now remember on june 1 madison asked
19:31congress for a declaration of war
19:33on june 16 the british dropped the
19:35orders and council and two days after
19:37that congress declares war
19:39this is a result of the communications
19:41at the time you know it's not like
19:43june 1 it's not like madison could could
19:46uh you know pick up a telephone and call
19:48the prime minister or the king of great
19:49britain and say hey
19:50i'm giving you one more chance to drop
19:52the orders and council or else i'm going
19:53to ask congress for a declaration of war
19:55no you can't do that madison couldn't
19:57get on the internet you know he
19:59is his uh his email address is jmad.gov
20:03jmad.gov get it okay anyway never mind i
20:06tried
20:06and you know he couldn't get on the
20:07internet and send an email saying hey
20:09you know drop the orders and counsel or
20:10we're going to declare war
20:11or in june 16 uh the prime minister of
20:14great britain or
20:15the king which the king by the way is
20:16still george iii
20:18from the revolution you know they
20:19couldn't pick up the phone or get on
20:21their email you know hey
20:22dear dearjmad.gov we've dropped the
20:25orders and council no
20:27so the communications communications
20:30the the communications at the time
20:32prevented the u.s and great britain from
20:34effectively communicating
20:35these things with each other so well
20:37june 1 madison asked congress for a
20:39declaration of war
20:40june 16 however the british drop the
20:42eurozone council but nobody knows that
20:45and june 18 at least nobody in the u.s
20:47knows it and june 18 congress
20:49declares war on great britain
20:52all right
20:56okay so as of june 18 1812
20:59the us and great britain is at war and
21:02the name of this war
21:03it's at the top of your hand out there
21:05the war
21:06of 1812. it's the war of 1812
21:09because the war began in 1812.
21:14and some reasons for this war kind of
21:16four basic reasons number one the orders
21:18in council
21:19okay the capturing of american ships
21:22two the impressment of british sailors
21:25or excuse me
21:26the impressment of american sailors
21:28thought to be british
21:30we gave you those figures 60s over 6 000
21:34taken by the british between 1803 and
21:361811
21:37and there are two other reasons here two
21:38other reasons
21:40and these are these other two reasons
21:42are pushed by a group in congress
21:46called the warhawks these are younger
21:49members of congress they are republicans
21:53and mainly southerners and westerners
21:55they want to use this
21:57war to end the
22:00indian threats to the american frontier
22:03the british
22:04are still supplying guns to indians
22:07british and canada are supplying guns to
22:09indians of the north
22:10british agents in spanish florida are
22:13supplying guns to indians in the south
22:16and so the war hawks
22:17want to use this war to stop
22:20the the giving of these guns by the
22:23british to the indians who are using
22:25them to attack
22:26americans and another reason
22:29for the for the for the war hawks
22:32the war hawks would like to use a war
22:36to capture british canada and spanish
22:39florida
22:40and of course capturing british canada
22:42and spanish florida would kind of put an
22:44end to the guns
22:46so they want to use this war to capture
22:47canada british canada and spanish
22:49florida
22:50and a lot of the warhawks believed that
22:54canadians were british citizens they
22:56believed that the canadians
22:57would rise up against the british and
23:00join the americans
23:02in this war turned out they didn't
23:05but that's what they thought that's what
23:07they thought and the same thing was
23:08thought
23:08thought back in the revolution that
23:10canadians would join the americans in
23:12the revolution
23:13they didn't then they're not going to in
23:151812.
23:16so reasons for this war the british
23:18origin council
23:20the british impressment of american
23:22sailors and the war hawks
23:25wanting to use the war and the idea that
23:28the british are selling
23:29or giving guns to the indians in the
23:31north out of canada
23:32and to the indians in the south of
23:34spanish florida put a stop to that
23:36and the warhawks want to use this war to
23:39capture
23:40british canada and spanish florida so
23:43those four reasons four main reasons
23:45for this war the war of 1812.
23:50and by the way one more thing 1812
23:53november 1812 president madison
23:57is re-elected president although it is a
24:01lot closer this time
24:03madison gets 128
24:07electoral votes and dewitt clinton
24:10dewitt clinton
24:14gets 89 so a lot closer
24:18and by the way the federalists
24:21refer to this war as mr madison's war
24:25the federalists were
24:26against this war so they refer to it as
24:28mr madison's war
24:30okay war of 1812 is underway
24:33and we'll take up the war next time okay
24:36we'll see you then folks bye

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