June 18, 1812 U.S. declares war on Great Britain. Britain had been at war with Napoleonic France and had enforced a naval blockade to prevent American trade with France. Britain also impressed American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy to man the blockade. It was during this war that Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner, the White House was burned by the British, and the Battle of New Orleans was fought by Andrew Jackson.
The war ended with the Treaty of Ghent and although the Americans and the British fought over Canadian territory, there were no boundary changes.
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