American President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain on June 18, 1812. What would later become known as the War of 1812 was the boiling point of mounting tensions between Great Britain and the United States, whose growing trade with Europe was being threatened by the actions and regulations of the British at their ports. In a military sense, the War of 1812 was inconclusive, but in a political sense, its repercussions last until this day.