WAR OF 1812 HISTORY LESSON

WAR OF 1812 LESSON

Directions:

Print the War of 1812 reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the story silently, then answer the questions about the story that follow.

Excerpt from passage

People compare the War of 1812 to the Revolutionary War. It has even been called the Revolutionary War Part 2.This is because there are many similarities between the two wars. The most common similarity is both wars were fought between the United States and Great Britain. The main causes for both wars were shipping and trade disputes. Another similarity between the two is that the main fighting occurred in North America. Like the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 ended with the United States winning. The main difference with the War of 1812 was that it was a war meant to decide how much say America would have in other countries.

It all started with Thomas Jefferson. As President, Jefferson set up laws for trading overseas. The problem was he had no interest in foreign affairs. This meant he did not want to take part in foreign wars. Other countries did not like this. They did not want to trade with a country who would not support them in spats with other nations.

England and France were at war prior to the War of 1812. The English believed the United States was supplying France with food and weapons. The French believed the same thing. They thought the U.S. was sending goods to Britain to help them. The war between these two nations was so bad that any time an American ship was sent to Europe, both British and French troops refused to let the ships pass without searching them first. The U.S. passed the Embargo Act of 1807 as a result.

Continued...

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