<p>&quot;Don&#39;t give up the ship.&quot; &quot;The Star-Spangled Banner.&quot; &quot;Old Hickory.&quot; The Battle of New Orleans.</p><p>The War of 1812 gave us some of America&#39;s most enduring symbols and phrases. But did it actually change anything? The treaty that ended it resolved almost nothing. The boundaries stayed the same. Impressment wasn&#39;t even mentioned. And the greatest American victory came after the war was technically over.</p><p>So why does this &quot;Second War of Independence&quot; matter? Was it a pointless conflict that nearly destroyed a fragile young nation? Or the crucible that finally transformed thirteen squabbling former colonies into something that felt like a country?</p><p>Join us as we dig into the contradictions, debate the consequences, and explore what the War of 1812 actually accomplished - or didn&#39;t. From the myths we tell ourselves to the realities on the ground, from Baltimore&#39;s ramparts to New Orleans&#39; muddy fields, we&#39;re questioning everything about America&#39;s most misunderstood war. And before we&#39;re done, we&#39;ll grapple with something deeper: the ideals this nation was founded on - and how those very same ideals, however imperfectly realized, eventually gave us the tools to right some of our gravest wrongs.</p>