The War of 1812 with Britain was difficult for our new Nation. There were many losses, and the White House in Washington, D.C. was burned by the British. However, the early victory of the U.S. Navy, the leadership of able generals such as Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison, and key American victories at Fort McHenry and at New Orleans finally stirred public support for the war. At its close, Americans turned their energies to exploring and settling the American continent in a fury of westward expansion.
             This war between America and Brittan ended with the Treaty of Ghent. The Treaty established status quo ante bellum. There were no territorial concessions made by either side. America was motivated by its desire to gain Canada and stop the impressments. The issue of impressing American seamen was made moot when the Royal Navy stopped impressments as a concession to American successes toward the end of the war. Gaining Canada was another story. The Southerners wanted more seats in Congress and by gaining and populating Canada they would gain more control. However, several invasions did not work out well for America and as we all know, in the end, Canada and the United States simply gained a great deal of nationalism in both lands.
             The war was a successful defense of American rights, cumulating in the victory at New Orleans. American expansion into the Southwest was possible because Native American Indians, fighting for the British, were defeated in the North and South and then abandoned by the British. This caused them to be willing to enter into treaties with America and allowing for our expansion west.
             The United States gained a large amount of worldwide respect for managing to withhold Britain. It allowed us to stop being a pawn for other countries and actually regarded. Future negotiations changed and eventually we were able to gain Florida as well as other areas from Spain.
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