No war is fought half-heartedly, but the War of 1812 came pretty close. The British were more concerned with taking on Napoleon in Europe than kicking the young United States in the butt. Their attempts to fully squash the Americans were frustrated by America's persistence. The same applied at the negotiating table, where American ambassadors stood pat on giving up any territory.
Given all this, the Brits were willing to concede quite a lot of points in the Treaty of Ghent. Ultimately the two sides settled on an equal exchange. By resetting all territory to its "antebellum," or prewar status, the war ended with each country acknowledging the equal rights of the other.
Americans no longer felt treated like children by their former colonial masters. Great Britain even caved to Henry Clay's insistence that the Americans would be allowed to have the same bedtime as the British, and agreed to permit live-streaming of Fawlty Towers and Brideshead Revisited as long as they brushed their teeth first.
Questions About Equality
- Does the Treaty of Ghent present any advantages for one country over the other?
- What mechanisms does the Treaty of Ghent provide to ensure its fair enforcement?
- Which country benefitted more from the war ending in a draw?
- What key components of the peace agreement illustrate an even exchange between the two sides?
Chew on This
The Treaty of Ghent shows two countries reconciling in the aftermath of a war that had ambiguous objectives.
The Treaty of Ghent's peace was essentially a ceasefire, with both sides acknowledging a tie.