When do two enemies treat each other fairly? Only when they don't have a better option.

The Treaty of Ghent settled the War of 1812 on equal terms, mostly because nobody could win. The introduction to the text states reciprocity, or equality, as the first goal, along with peace and "friendship" (Intro.1). To the negotiating parties, this meant a return to the pre-war state of things.

The first article states, "All territory, places, and possessions whatsoever taken by either party from the other during the war…shall be restored without delay" (I.3). This stipulation pretty much declares the war a draw by erasing any military gains made by either country. It was almost like the war never happened—we made a collective agreement to forget about the whole thing. No wonder it's now often called "the forgotten war."

Reciprocal distribution of power also plays a role in the treaty. Article Four sets up arbitration committees in which "One Commissioner shall be appointed by His Britannic Majesty and one by the President of the United States" (IV.2). In this way, the treaty ended the war without giving a distinct material advantage to either nation in the cleanup job that followed. Nobody got consigned to secondary status, which meant that Britain, to a certain degree, acknowledged the United States as an equal.

For our young nation, that was yuuuge.