In the United States, Fort McHenry stands in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Fort McHenry has played an important role in American history since its construction was completed in 1800. The most important part of the history associated with Fort McHenry is the time when it was bombarded in 1814. This was during The War of 1812, a war against Great Britain over the issue of British harassment of American ships and sailors. America was doing poorly during the war until Fort McHenry was bombed. The bombardment of Fort McHenry played a pivotal role in the War of 1812 because it marked a turning point in the war, it inspired pride in the American people, and it endures today through the United States national anthem. United. In 1812, On June 18, the United States of America declared war on Great Britain. One reason was that British sailors were capturing American sailors and stealing their ships. This act called printing would not be tolerated by President James Madison. “As for impressing American citizens - and Mr. Madison claimed that thousands had been impressed - Mr. Madison admitted no possibility of compromise. British ships invaded American waters and attacked American ships, as in the Chesapeake-Leopard incident. The American ship, the Chesapeake, was approached by the British ship Leopard. When the Leopard approached the Chesapeake, it requested to search the ship for deserters. The Chesapeake denied the request and when the Leopard's messenger returned to the Leopard, the Leopard fired on the Chesapeake. The Chesapeake was not ready for combat and only managed to get one shot at the Leopard. Three sailors died and 18 were injured. Blockages have occurred...... middle of paper ......: A site dedicated to the flag of the United States of America. November 20, 1994. Accessed May 21, 2014. http://www.usflag.org/francis.scott.key.html. Weiser, Kathy. “Fort Mchenry National Monument, Baltimore, Maryland.” Fort McHenry National Monument, Baltimore, Maryland. Accessed May 20, 2014. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/md-fortmchenry.html. Wikipedia Contributors, “Battle of Baltimore,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Baltimore&oldid=609097119 (accessed May 23, 2014). Wikipedia Contributors, “Fort McHenry,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fort_McHenry&oldid=605671902 (accessed May 23, 2014). Wikipedia Contributors, “War of 1812,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=War_of_1812&oldid=608852745 (accessed May 23 2014). 20, 2014).