The Treaty of Paris, signed by the US and England, officially ended the war. England recognized US independence. The boundaries of the new republic were set at the Great Lakes in the North, the Mississippi River to the West, and Florida to the South.

1845 The US agreed to protect the Lone Star Republic of Texas if it agreed to annexation by the US. Governor Zachary Taylor (later to become the 12th president of the US) proved the US resolve by defending the Texan border near the Rio Grande against Mexico. Texas had declared independence from Mexico in 1836 and was added to the Union (United States of America) in 1845.