Plenipotentiaries

Representatives of a country in international negotiations. A plenipotentiary has authority to make independent decisions on behalf of their home country. This is a great example of a five-dollar word. In fact, it's probably at least a one-hundred-dollar word.

His Britannic Majesty

A fancy way of referring to the ruler of Britain at the time: King George III. In European monarchies, the figure of the king represented the entire country. Hence, the Treaty of Ghent refers to Britain itself by referring to the King. Sort of like Bruce Springsteen: you don't say the name of his band. Honestly, George III was in pretty bad shape by 1814. The Prince of Wales was really the one running the show.

Traffic in Slaves

This phrase from Article Ten refers to the international slave trade of the 18th and 19th century. For decades, slaves were traded in what some historians call the "triangle," between West Africa, Western Europe, and North America.

Reciprocity

Equality between two parties in an exchange. The Treaty of Ghent was all about reciprocity; the Americans got back what they lost, and the British got back what they lost.

Bay of Fundy

A bay between Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. During and after the War of 1812, the United States and Britain disputed ownership of islands in the Bay of Fundy. The Bay of Passamaquoddy, also referred to in the treaty, is a small inlet or subsection of the Bay of Fundy, right on the international border.

Impressment

The practice of capturing and forcing men to work on ships. Leading up to the war of 1812, the British navy "impressed" swarms of sailors on American ships, in part to make up for labor shortages caused by the Napoleonic Wars (source http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/british-navy-impressment/). Side note: many of the men who were impressed were actually British deserters /war-1812/diplomacy.html.

Commissioners

Under the Treaty of Ghent, commissioners were representatives of the United States or Britain appointed to settle disputes over land ownership. Their decisions were binding for each country.

Sovereign or State

A fancy way to describe a country or nation, with "Sovereign" referring to a monarch. The Treaty of Ghent stipulated that a "friendly Sovereign or State" would mediate in any dispute over land rights after the war. The King of the Netherlands ended up becoming involved in arbitration proceedings over the northeast border of the United States (source https://www.trans-lex.org/133900/_/king-henry-t-graham-james-d-origins-of-modern-international-arbitration-in-aaa-dispute-resolution-journal-january-march-1996-at-42-et-seq/).

Treaty of Peace

Refers to the Treaty of Paris of 1783, the agreement that ended the Revolutionary War. The Treaty of Paris put down terms to define American and British borders, but this didn't stop the arguments from continuing into the 1800s.

Tribes or Nations of Indians

Numerous Indian groups fought in the War of 1812—including the Cherokee, Seminole, and Shawnee tribes. Most of the tribes fought on the side of the British, hoping to protect their native homelands from American incursion.

Ghent

The city in Belgium where American and British ambassadors gathered to lay out peace terms. The city was chosen for its neutrality. During the European wars of the early 1800s Ghent was tossed around like a hacky-sack between Napoleonic France, Austria, and the Netherlands.