Due to disputes between the United States and Britain over impressment of US Soldiers to the British Navy and the naval blockade by Britain on Napoleonic France aswell as disputes over the Northern Territories in Canada, America declared war on Britain.
During the course of the 3-year war, America won a series of naval battles, although failing to make an impression into British territory on land due to British aggression. The most prominent of American victories being those at York (Toronto) and after the war had ended officially, at the battle of New Orleans. British forces invading America lost the battle of Baltimore and succeeded to burn Washington DC (which was saved by a heavy rainstorm).
The territory Britain did capture was handed back after the war, as were the gains of America...
What a stupid pointless conflict.
And what happened to the blockade on France? It continued! And Britain smashed the French Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar and pummeled Napoleon at Waterloo, with the help of the faithful Prussians. Thanks Germany, we know who our REAL friends are!
Just kidding, thankfully now Anglo-American relations are just peachy.
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BACKGROUND
A war between the British Empire and the United States of America from 1812-1815 CE. Generally considered a spin-off conflict or associated minor conflict to the Napoleanic Wars, because the original issue of the war was the United States' issues with Britain and France who blockaded American shipping that resulted from the larger war and thus violated America's rights as a neutral nation. James Monroe was president at this time. Other notable leaders were Governer Prevost of Lower Canada, General Isaac Brock, Native leader Tecumseh, and General Jackson.
Because of the geography of the conflict and the United States of America's contemporary status as a minor power, the only way for America to vent its rage against Britain was to attack Britain's possessions north of its borders. The British provinces and homelands of the emerging two nations of future Canada, Upper Canada (Ontario), and Lower Canada (Quรฉbec) as well as the American New England States were the primary theatres of conflict.
RESULT
Treaty of Ghent ends War of 1812, restores status quo ante bellum. Significant loss of life and property, including vital government infrastructure from the burning of York, Upper Canada, and Washington, D.C. Despite the obvious ill feeling generated by the conflict, the Treaty of Ghent provided for the creation of commisions to deal peacefully issues between the United States and Great Britain, and later on Canada. The aftermath of the war also was notable as a dark period for the native tribes of North America, as the destruction of Tecumseh's Confederacy broke the power of the eastern Native tribes and paved the way for unchecked American expansion at their expense.
LEGACY
Probably the most misrepresented chapter of North American history, generations of obsessively jignostic Canadians and Americans have bent the historical facts to conclude that their nation "won" the conflict. The British, being the sane ones in this cherade, don't really care that much.
Canadians tend to assert that it was their militia had handily defeated the USA and burnt the White House. This is false, a British fleet did the deed. Canadian militia merely held their ground.
Americans tend to claim victory over the Battle of New Orleans, when this battle happened after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, and the British force could not be reached in time to inform them.
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A silly war that broke out between UK/Canada and the USA that resulted in nothing good in which both sides lost a lot of men and gained nothing for it.
Now used as a stupid excuse for superpatriots from both CUNTries to slag each other off.
The was had significant victories and losses for both sides.
For example:
The Yanks captured Toronto
The Brits captured Detroit
The Yanks burnt Toronto
The Brits burnt Washington DC
The Brits failed to capture Baltimore
The Yanks failed to capture Montreal
The Brits were basly defeated at New Orleans
The Yanks were badly defeated at Queenston heights
Think I've made my point clear.
The War of 1812 was a draw, the Americans didn't win and neither did the British.
But of course with pricks such as JB and Kung-Fu Jesus using this dictionary the phrase is going to be nothing more than an exucse for Brits and Americans to horribly bash each other
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A battle that happened a long time ago yet still manages to raise pointless controversy from the idiots on both sides over who really won. IT WAS A TIE, NOW GET OVER IT!
stop using UD to argue over stupid things like who won the war of 1812, cuz it was a tie, maybe do a little studying before you make your self look like a whining idiot
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Another great defonition on urbandictionary where pseudo-historians get on here and argue about who won when it dosnt matter.
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The outcome of the war was a stalemate: neither side benefited when the Treaty of Ghent was signed. However, during the war a British blockade forced the United States, a mercantile nation, to seriously industrialize because its lucrative trade with Europe was disrupted.
Also, Americans began, for better or worse, to develop their own distinct culture that distanced itself from Britain. With some exceptions in more sophisticated cities like New York and Philadelphia, and a few major southern plantations, European high culture and intellectualism were taboo in America for many years after the war. This was the era that saw the emergence of rural "white trash" American folk heroes like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.
...and that is what American schoolchildren are taught.
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A pointless war in which Great Britain and the United States beat the shit out of each other and got nothing for it.
Canadian:We won the War of 1812 eh?
American:Nooooo!! We burned down Toronto haha!!!
Canadian:But we burned down the White House eh?
Britain:No we did.
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