Was the battle of New Orleans crucial for Americans? Yes, the battle of New Orleans was a crucial deciding factor in the 1812 war for the Americans. In the war of 1812 Great Britain could have taken over America, but Americans fought back and the battle of New Orleans played a major role in the war (War of 1812 overview 2024). This was because of numerous reasons, such as the Americans stopping the British from gaining control of their ports, America's commitment to choose their own beliefs, Americans boosted morale, and this battle was fought after the treaty of Ghent, which impacted the war's outcome. The battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815, between the British and the Americans. General Andrew Jackson, initially sent down …show more content…
Jackson, arriving before the British, devised a strategy to stop the British from taking important ports in New Orleans. Despite the Americans being outnumbered, they managed to win the battle with the British suffering around two thousand casualties (Unit 6 notes). The Battle of New Orleans stopped the British from gaining control of ports in America because Andrew Jackson, commander of the Military in America, heard the British were planning an attack on the southern ports. So, he sent his army, mostly made of militia, to Mobile first and then, seeing the threat, to New Orleans, strengthening the ports and defending the city (History.com 2010). His defense included gun batteries, gun boats, and chopped down trees to make a barrier, stopping the water so the British could not land. Jackson sent half of his army, knowing he was outnumbered, to surprise the British in the night. This attack did not work for America, but the British delayed their attacks. After a few weeks, the battle continued, but the British lost their leader and two thousand more, while America only lost thirteen soldiers. This victory caused the British to leave New Orleans, and they never came back (battlesfield.org …show more content…
A deep sense of pride and resilience had taken place in Americans even after multiple defeats, because of Andrew Jackson's win at New Orleans. This morale boost was especially significant considering how America had recently lost its capital to Britain after only three days (unit 6 notes). Winning this battle had served as a reminder, that American strength was more than what Britain had first anticipated. America went without other beliefs and went with their own because it was a symbol to them, it meant they had won the war. This showed America does not need to depend on others, and they can be an independent country and have their own beliefs.They wanted to go away with European beliefs because it also boosted Americas’ sense of nationalism (History.com 2024) The Treaty of Ghent was signed December 24,1814 in Ghent, Belgium, this was an effort to stop the war. In the treaty, Britain had agreed to give America their claims in the Northwest Territory, and both Britain and America pledged to work towards ending slavery (Treaty of Ghent (1814) 2024). However, the Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8th of the following