On February 16, 1815, the United States Senate unanimously voted to ratify the peace treaty presented to them by President James Madison. The Treaty of Ghent was formally exchanged with a British diplomat the next day, concluding the process. After nearly three years and many thousands dead, the War of 1812 was at last over. British, Canadian, and American alike heaved a sigh of relief as this unpopular and costly war came to an end. Although the war was over, the road to peace was long, rocky, and lay ahead.
All parties involved in the War of 1812 were forced to make sacrifices in pursuit of peace. From land boundaries to trading rights, even negotiating one's own identity, the process of ending the War of 1812 was far more involved than the simple signing of a single treaty.
Last updated: October 29, 2014