Treaty of Ghent: Main Idea
Treaty of Ghent: Main Idea
The 1814 Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812. After years of fruitless fighting, both sides decided to call it a draw, rewind to 1812, and call it a day.
The Treaty, with its emphasis on equality and fairness, allowed the Americans to feel like they'd won, getting all up in Britain's face and earning some R-E-S-P-E-C-T in the process. They felt they'd showed that the American Revolution was no fluke, and it gave them the confidence to imagine further westward territorial expansion while still keeping the peace with their neighbors to the north and the ones across the pond.
The treaty also promised peace with the Native American tribes, but you know how that usually ended up.
Questions
- Basing your answer on the content of the Treaty of Ghent, how would you describe the relationship between the United States and Britain in 1814?
- For both countries, what changed as a result of the Treaty of Ghent? What remained the same?
- Did the Treaty of Ghent accomplish its goals?
- How did the War of 1812 and the Treaty of Ghent affect Native Americans and future relations between the United States and Native tribes?
Chew On This
If not getting your butt kicked in war counts as a win, then both sides won.
The real losers after the Treaty of Ghent were the Native American tribes.
Quotes
Quote #1
All territory, places, and possessions whatsoever taken by either party from the other during the war […] shall be restored without delay and without causing any destruction. (I.3)
The Treaty of Ghent erased every "gain" from the war and reset things to prewar conditions. Initially, the treaty wasn't popular with the American public because it ended the war in a way that seemed more like a tie than a victory. Americans hate ties—that's why they can't get into soccer like the rest of the world.
Quote #2
No disposition made by this Treaty as to such possession of the Islands and territories claimed by both parties shall in any manner whatever be construed to affect the right of either. (I.5)
The Treaty of Ghent didn't quite make the two countries fuzzy up to one another, but it did pass on a message of mutual tolerance. Going forward, there'd be peace along the U.S.-Canadian border, one of the longest international borders in the world. And there still is, eh?
Quote #3
The said Commissioners shall by a declaration or report under their hands and seals decide to which of the two Contracting parties the several Islands aforesaid do respectively belong. (IV.5)
The Treaty gave a handful of appointed commissioners broad power to settle territorial disputes between the two countries. We would've loved to get Montreal—great bagels, eh? Okay, we'll stop.
Quote #4
The United States of America engage to put an end immediately after the Ratification of the present Treaty to hostilities with all the Tribes or Nations of Indians with whom they may be at war at the time of such Ratification. (IX.1)
Most Native Americans in the War of 1812 fought on the side of the British. Both hoped to put a stop to America's westward expansion. For the Native Americans, this was about protecting their own ancestral lands. For the British, it was about keeping the pesky upstart nation from gaining too much power in the Great Lakes region.
Quote #5
Whereas the Traffic in Slaves is irreconcilable with the principles of humanity and Justice, and whereas both His Majesty and the United States are desirous of continuing their efforts to promote its entire abolition, it is hereby agreed that both the contracting parties shall use their best endeavours to accomplish so desirable an object. (X.1)
The Americans had already passed a law banning the international slave trade by the time of the Treaty of Ghent. Still, this Article expresses a kind of shared value between the two countries. In case you forgot, slavery continued in the United States until the Civil War.