Treaty of Ghent
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The Treaty of Ghent (8 Stat. 218), signed on 24 December 1814, in Ghent (modern-day Belgium), was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the Great Britain. The treaty largely restored relations between the two nations to status quo ante bellum, with no loss of territory either way. Because of the era's slow communications, it took weeks for news of the peace treaty to reach the United States, and the Battle of New Orleans was fought after it was signed. However the treaty was not in effect until it was ratified by both sides in February, 1815, a month after New Orleans.
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[edit] Agreement
On December 24,1814, the members of the British and American negotiating teams signed and affixed their individual seals to the document, which once ratified by their respective governments, ended the war of 1812.[1] The treaty released all prisoners and restored all war lands and boats, resulting in several changes. Returned to the United States were approximately 10,000,000 acres (40,000 km2) of territory, near Lakes Superior and Michigan, in Maine, and on the Pacific coast.[2] American-held areas of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) were returned to British control. The treaty made no major changes to the pre-war situation, but Britain promised to return the freed black slaves encouraged during the war to escape to British territory. In practice, a few years later Britain instead paid the United States $350,000 for them.[3]
The British proposal to create an Indian buffer zone in Ohio and Michigan collapsed after the Indian coalition fell apart. [4]
[edit] Aftermath
News of the treaty finally reached the United States after the American victory in the Battle of New Orleans and the British victory in the Second Battle of Fort Bowyer, but before the British assault on Mobile, Alabama.[5] Skirmishes occurred between U.S. troops and British-allied Indians along the Mississippi River frontier for months after the treaty, including the Battle of the Sink Hole in May 1815.
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the treaty on 16 February 1815, and President James Madison exchanged ratification papers with a British diplomat in Washington on 17 February; the treaty was proclaimed on 18 February. Eleven days later, on 1 March Napoleon escaped from Elba, starting the war in Europe again, and forcing the British to concentrate on the threat he posed.
In 1922, the Fountain of Time was dedicated to the city of Chicago, being placed in Washington Park marking 100 years of peace between the United States and the United Kingdom. The Peace Bridge between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario, opened in 1927, commemorates 100 years of peace between the United States and Canada.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ The War of 1812: Treaty of Ghent
- ^ W.G. Dean et al. (1998). Concise Historical Atlas of Canada.
- ^ Lindsay, Arnett G. "Diplomatic Relations Between the United States and Great Britain Bearing on the Return of Negro Slaves, 1783-1828." Journal of Negro History. 5:4 (October 1920); Knight, Charles. The Crown History of England. Oxford, England: Oxford University, 1870.
- ^ Avalon Project – British-American Diplomacy – Treaty of Ghent
- ^ "Chapter 6: THE WAR OF 1812". 25 August 2005. http://www.history.army.mil/books/AMH-V1/ch06.htm. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
[edit] Further reading
- Bemis, Samuel Flagg. John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy (1950).
- Burt, A. L. The United States, Great Britain and British North America from the Revolution to the Establishment of Peace after the War of 1812, 1940 (Online Edition.
- Engelman, Fred L. The Peace of Christmas Eve American Heritage Magazine (Dec 1960) v 12#1 popular account; online.
- Hickey, Donald R. The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict (1990) pp. 281–98.
- Matloff, Maurice. American Military History: Army Historical Series. Chapter 6: The War of 1812. (Center of Military History, 1989). Official US Army history, online.
- Perkins, Bradford. Castelereagh and Adams: England and the United States, 1812-1823, 1964; the standard scholarly history
- Remini, Robert Vincent. Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union (1991) pp. 94–122.
- Ward, A.W. and G.P. Gooch, eds. The Cambridge History of British Foreign Policy, 1783-1919 (3 vol, 1921-23), Volume I: 1783-1815 online pp 535-42
[edit] External links
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Full text of the Treaty of Ghent online.
- Text of treaty from the Avalon Project
- Treaty of Ghent and related resources at the Library of Congress
- Library of Congress Guide to the War of 1812
- PBS: War of 1812 Timeline
- Bonus Video about The Treaty of Ghent from the PBS/WNED Production
- Treaty of Ghent (Registered Non-profit organisation)
