History books often relegate the war of 1812 to a footnote. A minor, awkward war sandwiched between the American Revolution and the Civil War. But to people experiencing it at the time, it was nothing of the sort. The war of 1812 was a critical moment in defining what the United States would mean to its people and the rest of the world.

The war of 1812 resulted from the conflict between two powers, Great Britain and the United States. Britain and France were at war; Britain controlled the seas and often stopped neutral vessels sailing between Europe and the United States, accusing American sailors of having defected from the Royal Navy before settling in America. These seizures were seen as an insult to American sovereignty. Further, Britain tried to stop Americans from trading with France, further complicating the economic situation. Americans had already decided to be independent from Great Britain, but they still felt that British actions threatened their sovereignty. In fact, Americans had become used to a degree of powerlessness as they watched the conflict between these two major European powers play out while their country was still very young.

Another factor influencing American decision making for the war of 1812 was an expansionist agenda. Many Americans felt that they had a right and a duty to expand westward, which would have put them on a collision course with Native American people who already lived in that territory. To many Native American people, British support of Native Americans fighting back was an ally against further expansion by Americans. To some Americans, fighting the British was another means of stopping that expansionism.

The conflict was complex, but in some areas it seemed relatively simple. Many key battles were fought in and around the Great Lakes in the north. Control of waterways meant control of communication, movement, and supply lines, and thus control of territory. These fights were relatively small (even in North American terms), but fierce and decisive. The Great Lakes region was heavily forested, making movement difficult, often freezing over in winter. It would take years of fighting in the north to settle the conflict between Great Britain and the United States.

On the American east coast, a number of naval and land battles took place. The Royal Navy blockaded ports around the American eastern seaboard; some of these ports were attacked, disrupting commerce and trade. Despite an overall disadvantage, American ships also won some victories against their larger British counterparts. The British also tried several invasions and attacks on American cities in this area.

In several inland battles, American troops were often ill-equipped and inexperienced. Regular American forces and volunteers fought alongside one another in the war of 1812; they were not always well organized, and supply and equipment were uneven, but the men fought and overcame many difficulties.

Ultimately, the war of 1812 ended in a stalemate. The treaty that concluded the war in 1814, the Treaty of Ghent, did not settle many of the original disputes and did not significantly change any boundaries between Great Britain and the United States. However, for Americans, the war of 1812 helped establish a collective identity. Many people in the United States had come to think of themselves and their country as an independent power that could stand up to a much larger global entity, even when it came off the worst of that confrontation.

Americans told and retold stories about the war of 1812 for decades after the war ended, and the war had a strong influence on many veterans of the conflict who became prominent leaders later in life. Some veterans, for example, would become presidents of the United States. Though it was not a clear American victory in any traditional sense, the war of 1812 remains a very significant conflict in American history.