The Treaty of Ghent
Winter 2014, Vol. 46, No. 4 | Pieces of History
The Treaty of Ghent (final two pages shown) ended the War of 1812 and was signed on December 24, 1814, by British negotiators Lord Gambier, Henry Goulburn, and William Adams, and Americans John Quincy Adams, James A. Bayard, Henry Clay, Jonathan Russell, and Albert Gallatin.
The War of 1812 is not as celebrated as the Revolutionary War or as wrenching as the Civil War, but it made significant contributions to our national identity. The nation got its national anthem out of the Battle of Fort McHenry; the USS Constitution earned its name as “Old Ironsides”; and Andrew Jackson became the “hero of New Orleans.” The crucial outcome for the early national development of the United States, however, was in the terms of the peace set out in the Treaty of Ghent, signed 200 years ago on December 24, 1814.
The United States did not “win” the war, but neither did the British. After two and a half years of conflict, both sides were weary. The United States and the United Kingdom were financially stressed, and there had not yet been a decisive military action to determine a “winner.”
The British negotiators could have pressed for punitive terms against a small country that had recently broken away from the Crown. The American team, led by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay, pressed for and won a settlement of status quo ante bellum, or a return to the way things were before the war.
For the United States, a draw was as good as a win. The British recognized the legitimacy of United States as an independent entity, and the world saw the young nation in a more favorable light after it had faced the power of Great Britain and stood its ground.