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The United States entered the War of 1812 officially on June 18, 1812, by formally declaring war on the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom had continued to block U.S. trade with France and impress sailors off American ships into the British navy. As such, the United States felt that the United Kingdom did not yet regard it as a legitimate country.
During America’s involvement in the conflict, battles were fought on the continental United States and Canada, and in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as on the Gulf Coast of the United States. Over the course of the war, an estimated 15,000 Americans were killed and 20,000 were captured. The war ended on February 17, 1815, when Congress ratified the Treaty of Ghent.
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