The War of 1812, in which sixteen hundred British and twenty-two hundred and sixty American soldiers die, is fought from 1812 to 1815 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its colonies, including Upper Canada (Ontario), Lower Canada (Quebec), Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Bermuda.

Historians in Britain often see it as a minor theater of the Napoleonic Wars; in the United States and Canada, it is seen as a war in its own right.

Since the outbreak of war with Napoleonic France, Britain has enforced a naval blockade to choke off neutral trade to France, which the United States contests as illegal under international law.

To man the blockade, Britain impresses American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy.

Incidents such as the Chesapeake–Leopard affair had inflamed anti-British sentiment.

In 1811, the British had in turn been outraged by the Little Belt affair, in which eleven British sailors died.

The British supply natives who conduct raids on American settlers on the frontier, which hinders American expansion and also provokes resentment.

Historians remain divided on whether the desire to annex some or all of British North America contributed to the American decision to go to war.

On June 18, 1812, United States President James Madison, after receiving heavy pressure from the War Hawks in Congress, signs the American declaration of war into law.

With the majority of their army in Europe fighting Napoleon, the British adopt a defensive strategy.

American prosecution of the war effort suffers from its unpopularity, especially in New England, where it is derogatorily referred to as "Mr. Madison's War".

American defeats at the Siege of Detroit and the Battle of Queenston Heights thwart attempts to seize Upper Canada, improving British morale.

American attempts to invade Lower Canada and capture Montreal also fail.

In 1813, at the Battle of Lake Erie the Americans win control of Lake Erie, and at the Battle of the Thames defeat Tecumseh's Confederacy, securing a primary war goal.

At sea, the powerful Royal Navy blockades American ports, cutting off trade and allowing the British to raid the coast at will.

In 1814, one of these raids burns the capital, Washington, although the Americans subsequently repulse British attempts to invade New England and capture Baltimore.

Tens of thousands of slaves escape to British lines because of their offer of freedom, or simply flee in the chaos of war.

The British settle a few thousand of the newly freed Americans in Nova Scotia.

At home, the British face mounting opposition to wartime taxation and demands to reopen trade with America.

With the abdication of Napoleon, the blockade of France ends and the British cease impressment, rendering the issue of the impressment of American sailors moot.

The British are now able to increase the strength of the blockade on the United States coast, annihilating American maritime trade and bringing the United States government near to bankruptcy.

Peace negotiations begin in August 1814 and the Treaty of Ghent is signed on December 24 as neither side wants to continue fighting.

News of the peace does not reach America for some time.

British forces, unaware that the treaty had been signed, invade Louisiana and are defeated at the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815.

These late victories are viewed by Americans as having restored national honor, leading to the collapse of anti-war sentiment and the beginning of the Era of Good Feelings, a period of national unity.

News of the treaty arrives shortly thereafter, halting military operations.

The treaty is unanimously ratified by the United States on February 17, 1815, ending the war with status quo ante bellum (no boundary changes).