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Treaty of Ghent - Where is Ghent?
The Treaty of Ghent
was named after the place the peace treaty was signed. Ghent is a
large city and port in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Why
was the Treaty of Ghent signed in Belgium? Because Belgium was a
neutral country.
Treaty of Ghent: Who were the Negotiators
The Treaty of Ghent
was negotiated in Belgium by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay
supported by Albert Gallatin, secretary of the treasury; James A.
Bayard and Jonathan Russell, the charge d’affaires for President
Madison in Paris. The British negotiators were led by Foreign
Secretary Lord Castlereagh and Secretary for War and the Colonies,
Lord Bathurst, a lawyer called Williams Adams, Lord Gambier and
Henry Goulburn, the Undersecretary for War and the Colonies.
Treaty of Ghent - Goals of the British and the Americans
The
negotiators had their own goals that they wanted to achieve with the Treaty of Ghent.
The goal of Americans was to restore things to the way they were
before the War of 1812 - the "status quo ante bellum".
(The Latin term
'status quo ante bellum' literally means "the state in which things
were before the war.") The British
negotiators had greater ambitions and wanted each side to keep what
it had won during the War of 1812 - "uti possidetis".
However, both sides need to achieve peace as the cost of the War of
1812 was too expensive to maintain. There was little gain but a lot
to lose for both countries in a prolonged war.
Terms of the
Treaty of Ghent - The ' status quo ante bellum'
What were the Terms of the Treaty of Ghent? Despite Britain's
original stance looking to benefit from the 'gains of war' the
urgency to end the war overrode their initial goals.
The terms of the Treaty of Ghent were that all hostilities would end
and "all territory, places and possessions whatsoever, taken by
either party from the other during the war" would be restored as
they were before the war. The terms of the Treaty of Ghent
released all prisoners and restored all captured lands and ships. It
was the ' status quo ante bellum'.
Results
of the
Treaty of Ghent - Neither side won
Results of the Treaty of Ghent: According to the
Terms of the Treaty of Ghent all conquered territory was to be
returned, and commissions (official groups) were planned to settle
the boundary of the United States and Canada. The British government
realized that there was no chance of conquering any portion of the
United States. The United States gave up its designs on British
territory in Canada. None of the things about which the War of 1812
was fought were even mentioned in the Treaty of Ghent. The subject
of Impressment, which had been a Important cause of the War of 1812, was
ignored. The terms included an empty clause that agreed to restore
the Native American Indians "all possessions, rights and privileges
which they may have enjoyed, or been entitled to in 1811". As there
was not a clear map of Native land reserves these words in the
Treaty of Ghent were
worthless.
Significance of the
Treaty of Ghent
Although
the War of 1812 had ended in a stalemate and the terms of Treaty of Ghent
were not beneficial to either the British and the Americans, the
Treaty of Ghent did have some significance. Both Britain and the
United States were able to expand their commerce and trade.
Commissions had been planned to settle the boundary of the United
States and Canada. The British had been forced to recognize the
United States as an expanding national power. The Treaty of Ghent
saw the destruction of the Federalist political party who were
branded "traitors" following the secret
Hartford Convention. The United States had
grown confidence in the impact they could have on the world stage.
Treaty of Ghent
The info about the Treaty of Ghent provides interesting facts and
important information about this important event that occured during the presidency of the 4th President of the United States of America.
Treaty of Ghent - President James Madison Video
The article on the
Treaty of Ghent provides an overview of one of the Important issues of his presidential term in office. The following
James Madison video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 4th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1809 to March 4, 1817.
Treaty of Ghent
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Interesting Facts about the
Treaty of Ghent for kids and schools
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The British and Americans and the Treaty of Ghent
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The Treaty of Ghent, a Important
event in US history
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James Madison Presidency from March 4, 1809 to March 4, 1817
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Fast, fun, interesting
facts about the Treaty of Ghent
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Foreign & Domestic
policies of President James Madison
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James Madison Presidency and
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