The War of 1812On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain. The peace treaty ending the war was signed in Europe in 1814. The war lasted from 1812 until the spring of 1815 due to a delay in communications. It took place along the Canadian border, alongside several naval battles. By the end of the war, the United States had lost 2,260 soldiers and the British had lost 1,600. The War of 1812 was a very significant event in the United States. It actually confirmed America's independence. This is why we often speak of the “second war of independence or the “second revolutionary war”. The United States was angry with the British for several reasons. The British failed to withdraw from American territory along the Great Lakes despite the United States' victory in the Revolutionary War. The British army is said to have supported the Indians on the American frontier; and their reluctance to sign trade deals favorable to the United States. American resentment grew during the ongoing war between the United Kingdom and Napoleon's France. France dominated the European continent, while Britain had power over the seas. This affected many countries, and particularly American trade. As Britain was not engaged in a war with France, it did not want Americans trading with France. The British viewed America as a threat to their maritime supremacy. They argued that they were escaping the British rule of 1756, which prohibited any wartime trade that was not permitted in peacetime. The United States believed that the United Kingdom was violating the right of a neutral nation to trade with any nation it saw fit. As a result, trade tensions increased, as did the number of American ships ending up in the middle of paper on January 18, 1815. It could be said that the war was officially over. Overall, by the end of the War of 1812, both sides had accomplished absolutely nothing other than destroying small pieces of the enemy. Neither side had settled any of the issues over which they were originally arguing, and neither side had technically "won" according to the Treaty of Ghent (1814). The United States did, however, derive some benefits indirectly from the war, such as an increased degree of respect from foreign nations and the identification of more war heroes. The war also proved that Americans were capable of surviving completely separate from European affairs. None of these results, however, were those desired by the war. If Americans had been able to put aside their selfishness and regional differences, perhaps the War of 1812 would have accomplished more for the United States than it actually did.