TREATY OF GHENT ENDS THE WAR OF 1812

Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812

On December 24th, 1814, American and British negotiators agreed to the Treaty of Ghent, formally ending the War of 1812 even as fighting continued thousands of miles away. The treaty essentially restored the prewar boundaries, leaving neither side with major new territory but bringing an end to a conflict that had seen British invasions, the burning of Washington, and hard-fought American defenses on the Great Lakes and the Atlantic coast. Maritime issues such as impressment of American sailors faded with the defeat of Napoleon in Europe, and the treaty focused on stopping the fighting and setting up commissions to work out disputes. News of the agreement would travel slowly across the ocean, arriving in North America after dramatic battles still to come, including the defense of New Orleans. Over time, many Americans remembered the war less for the treaty text than for the sense that the United States had stood up to a great power and emerged with its independence and honor intact.