What treaty formally ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom?

The Treaty of Ghent formally ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom.

American and British negotiators signed the treaty in Ghent, in the United Netherlands, on December 24, 1814. The agreement restored relations to essentially their prewar status and required both sides to return captured territory. It did not resolve every maritime or Indigenous-alliance issue that had helped cause the conflict.

The treaty became effective after ratification in February 1815. Because communication across the Atlantic was slow, the Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, after the treaty had been signed but before news of the agreement reached the combatants. Andrew Jackson’s victory therefore did not cause the treaty, although it became a famous American symbol of the war.

The Treaty of Paris is a common mix-up because it ended the American Revolutionary War. The Treaty of Ghent belongs specifically to the later conflict fought from 1812 to 1815.