Editing War of 1812 (section)

== Declaration of war ==
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| footer = The United States Declaration of War (left) and [[Isaac Brock]]'s Proclamation in response to it (right)
| image2 = Proclamation Province of Upper Canada by Isaac Brock.jpg
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{{Wikisource|US Declaration of War against the United Kingdom}}
On 1 June 1812, Madison sent a message to Congress recounting American grievances against Great Britain, though not specifically calling for a declaration of war. The [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] then deliberated for four days behind closed doors before voting 79 to 49 (61%) in favour of [[United States declaration of war upon the United Kingdom|the first declaration of war]]. The [[United States Senate|Senate]] concurred in the declaration by a 19 to 13 (59%) vote in favour. The declaration focused mostly on maritime issues, especially involving British blockades, with two thirds of the indictment devoted to such impositions, initiated by Britain's Orders in Council.{{efn|Hickey|1989|p=44}} The conflict began formally on 18 June 1812, when Madison signed the measure into law. He proclaimed it the next day.{{sfn|Woodworth|1812}} This was the first time that the United States had formally [[Declaration of war by the United States#Formal|declared war]] on another nation, and the Congressional vote was approved by the smallest margin of any declaration of war in America's history.{{sfn|Summer 1812: Congress}}{{sfn|Clymer|1991}} None of the 39 [[Federalist]]s in Congress voted in favour of the war, while other critics referred to it as "Mr. Madison's War".{{sfn|Hickey|1989|p=1}}{{sfn|Summer 1812: Congress}} Just days after war had been declared, a small number of Federalists in [[Baltimore]] were attacked for printing anti-war views in a newspaper, which eventually led to over a month of deadly [[1812 Baltimore riots|rioting]] in the city.{{sfn|Gilje|1980|p=551}}

Prime Minister [[Spencer Perceval]] was [[Assassination of Spencer Perceval|assassinated]] in London on 11 May and [[Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool|Lord Liverpool]] came to power. He wanted a more practical relationship with the United States. On 23 June, he issued a repeal of the [[Order in Council|Orders in Council]], but the United States was unaware of this, as it took three weeks for the news to cross the Atlantic.{{sfn|Toll|2006|p=329}} On 28 June 1812, {{HMS|Colibri|1809|6}} was dispatched from Halifax to New York under a flag of truce. She anchored off [[Sandy Hook, New Jersey|Sandy Hook]] on July 9 and left three days later carrying a copy of the declaration of war, British ambassador to the United States [[Augustus Foster]] and consul Colonel [[Thomas Henry Barclay]]. She arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia eight days later. The news of the declaration took even longer to reach London.{{sfnm|Stanley|1983|1p=4|Clarke|1812|2p=73}}

British commander [[Isaac Brock]] in Upper Canada received the news much faster. He issued a proclamation alerting citizens to the state of war and urging all military personnel "to be vigilant in the discharge of their duty", so as to prevent communication with the enemy and to arrest anyone suspected of helping the Americans.{{sfn|Proclamation: Province of Upper Canada|1812}}{{sfn|Turner|2011|p=311}} He also ordered the British garrison of [[Fort St. Joseph (Ontario)|Fort St. Joseph]] on [[Lake Huron]] to capture the American fort at [[Fort Mackinac|Mackinac]]. This fort commanded the [[Straits of Mackinac|passage between Lakes Huron and Michigan]], which was important to the fur trade. The British garrison, aided by fur traders of the [[North West Company]] and Sioux, Menominee, Winnebago, Chippewa, and Ottawa, immediately [[Siege of Fort Mackinac|besieged and captured Mackinac]].<ref>Alec R. Gilpin, ''The War of 1812 in the Old Northwest'', Michigan State University Press, p. 89</ref>