America declared war against Great Britain on June 18, 1812, beginning a conflict that lasted for over two years. Many historians have viewed the war as the inevitable outcome of Britain’s continued interference in U.S. affairs, including the abduction of American sailors on the high seas and territorial disputes on the western frontier and Canada. During the war, the White House was burned. Presque Isle played an important role in securing a U.S. victory at the Battle of Lake Erie because its peninsula created a sheltered bay accessible only by navigating a narrow channel from Lake Erie and crossing a shallow sandbar. Erie resident Daniel Dobbins persuaded President James Madison and his cabinet that warships were needed on Lake Erie and that Presque Isle Bay offered ideal conditions for building them, and shipbuilding began in Erie in September 1812.