158 Unit 6© 2013 Core Knowledge Foundation
after the battle. America’s greatest victory in the War of 1812 came after the war was
already over!
The War of 1812 lasted three years. It’s hard to say who won. Both sides won
battles. The British burned Washington, D.C. But the Americans won the Battle of
New Orleans. “Old Ironsides” won a number of battles on the sea. But other U.S.
ships were sunk. All in all, there was no clear winner.
It might seem as if the war was for nothing. But some things had changed. The
Americans had battled together as a nation, and they had done it well. They had
taken on the mighty British and had held their own. The world saw they were strong.
The end of the war marked the start of a new age in U.S. history. It was an age
of national pride. The War of 1812 showed that the United States of America was
here to stay.