The War of 1812: From Ashes to Anthem | The American Story | Ep 12

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**Ryan Reynolds** (0:19)
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**SPEAKER_4** (0:32)
It's August, 1814 The air in Washington is heavy with humidity and dread. British troops are in Maryland closing in a rapidly tightening noose around the young nation's capital. The city, it's a sitting duck, half-built, barely defended. Amid the growing frenzy of activity, one unassuming hero emerges. Stephen Pleasanton, a senior clerk in the State Department. He's just a guy with a desk job, racing against time to save America's indispensable, most priceless possessions, the fragile papers that form the blueprints of our nation. So Stephen Pleasanton springs into action. He dashes out and buys bolts of sturdy linen. Back at the office, he and his fellow clerks grab scissors and just start cutting. They stitch the fabric into makeshift book bags. Then they open the drawers in the cabinets, delicately lifting out the contents. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, treaties, letters in George Washington's handwriting. These are the original copies, the document DNA of America. Pleasanton meticulously tucks them into bags. There is no margin for error here. There can be zero snags or tears. Yet the clock is ticking. Rumors of redcoats swarm the streets.
The bags are quickly loaded onto a makeshift convoy of wagons. Pleasanton leads the charge, escorting them across the Potomac at dusk. They rumble into a grist mill on the Virginia side of Chain Bridge, wheels grinding over rough roads. They unload the bags and they're about to stash them when Pleasanton learns there is a cannon foundry nearby.
He knows it could be a prime target for the British. Too risky. He rallies locals and secures more wagons from nearby farms. They reload the precious cargo and push on. The wagons roll another 30 miles west through the darkness. Finally, they spot their new destination, a deserted mansion near Leesburg, Virginia. Inside, down in the basement, is an empty brick vault. As Pleasanton and others rush the documents into the vault, every noise turns their head. Every rustle in the woods could be an enemy scout. The linen bags are stacked inside the brick chamber.
Pleasanton finally closes the heavy door and locks it. He exhales with relief. The heart of America beats on, but now it's cloaked in linen and brick.
You know, sometimes the fate of history hinges on those who just recognize the moment and what is worth saving.
He steps back into the stuffy night air and pauses. In the distance, an eerie glow lights the horizon. It's the fire of burning buildings in the nation's capital.
Washington is ablaze.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:41)
This is the American Story, The Beginnings, adapted from the book of the same title by David Barton and Tim Barton. Episode 12, The War of 1812, From Ashes to Anthem.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:59)
In 1808, James Madison, that quiet intellectual who had been Thomas Jefferson's right-hand man as Secretary of State, was easily elected as the nation's fourth president. But right from the start, Madison inherited a massive headache. Britain and France were locked in their latest war, and neither respected America's neutrality. They intercepted US ships seizing cargo and disrupting trade like it was no big deal. To push back, Madison tried a limited embargo, banning US trade with Britain and France. It was supposed to hurt their economies without crippling ours, but it didn't work. Britain and France were America's biggest customers, and choking off that trade meant choking the young nation's economy.
Britain had another motive for stopping US ships. Their enormous navy and war with Napoleon demanded more sailors. American merchant ships, with their higher pay and better conditions, had become a kind of floating job fair for British sailors. In fact, about 30% of American sailors were actually British guys who had made the switch. So Britain turned to Impressment, forcibly grabbing men and shoving them into service. They boarded US ships, dragged off their own citizens, and also took 10,000 American citizens in the process. France did some of this too, but nowhere near the scale of Great Britain.
To Americans, this wasn't just an insult, it was a ghost of the revolution. Impressment had been one of the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence. Now, it was happening again. And as if that weren't enough, Britain brushed aside US protests, ignored claims of neutrality, and quietly armed Native American tribes, encouraging them to raid settlers along the Western frontier.