Treaty of Ghent: Resources

Transcript, images, and summary for the Treaty of Ghent.

A database for primary documents from the War of 1812, including the original declaration of war against Great Britain and the Treaty of Ghent.

From the University of Indiana library, a collection of primary documents related to the lead-up to the War of 1812, including a report from the House Committee on Foreign Relations agitating for war.

A full length treatment of the causes, events, and ramifications of the War of 1812.

Needless to say, the Treaty of Ghent wasn't exactly action movie material. Most of the films about that era were about the War of 1812. Charlton Heston plays Andrew Jackson in this remake of a 1938 flick about the dread pirate Jean Lafitte, who helped Jackson defend New Orleans in 1814.

Another film about the hostilities, not the peace, this time from the perspective of the Native American tribes le by the great warrior Tecumseh.

From the University of Virginia's Miller Center, a transcript of James Madison's speech to Congress on the Treaty of Ghent.

This New York Times article covers a War of 1812 bicentennial exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and delves into the long-term effects of the war on national identity.

A documentary on the Treaty of Ghent made by the United States Embassy in Belgium.

C-Span presents a discussion of the Treaty of Ghent from the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.

PBS has a short video that summarizes the causes and results of the war, narrated by British, American, and Native American historians.

Historians discuss the effect of the War of 1812 on forming United States national identity.

From the U.S. National Archives, an image of the original signed and sealed treaty.

A contemporary newspaper article in the Columbian Centinel reports on the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.

In a letter to Thomas Jefferson from March of 1815, President James Madison discusses the Treaty of Ghent.

Sir Amédée Forestiere's painting of the the signing of the Treaty. It's in the Smithsonian.

Here's an allegorical watercolor titled "Peace" by John Rubens Smith about the signing of the treaty, with two lovely ladies representing the U.S. and Great Britain holding olive branches. Awwww.

Alexis Chataigner's engraving of the Treaty signing showed Hercules strong-arming Britannia into accepting the treaty. He evidently had a more cynical view of the whole affair.

The real and actual table where James Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent. You can Photoshop the prez in if you want.