The briefing

The United States declared war on Britain in June 1812. The two countries had argued over neutral trade and the rights of sailors. British ships stopped American vessels and forced some sailors to serve in the British navy, a practice called impressment. Some Americans also believed Britain was encouraging Indigenous resistance to U.S. expansion, though Indigenous nations had their own reasons for defending their homelands. The war was fought on land and at sea, mostly along the U.S.–Canada border and the Atlantic coast. In August 1814, British forces captured Washington, D.C., and burned important government buildings. In September, U.S. forces defended Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during a British attack. Francis Scott Key wrote a poem after seeing the American flag still flying at the fort; the poem later became the national anthem. The Treaty of Ghent was signed in December 1814 and restored prewar boundaries without settling every disagreement. News traveled slowly, so the Battle of New Orleans took place in January 1815, after the treaty had been signed. The war ended without major territorial changes, but many Americans celebrated the defense of the country and felt stronger national pride.

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