As a Canadian, I am required by tradition to pick the third option.
But of course I can look about it an opposing perspective too.
Can someone please explain to me the 'win' argument?
The issues which lead to the declaration of war, like impressment, and native resistance to American settlement (who the Brits assisted until after the war), were for the most part resolved. The peace treaty can be argued to have a net benefit for the States, by ending British meddling in the west and on the seas, while reducing the potential for boundary disputes.
Americans also like to see themselves as the underdogs in the war, fighting against the greatest empire of the time, the inverse of the Canadian view which is that "Canada" (British North America) was the underdog defending itself against the States with much smaller manpower. When the underdog draws the war from a gain-loss perspective, it is often seen as a "victory" for the underdog as a draw can in itself be seen as an accomplishment, which to be honest, underlies the common "Canada won" argument in Canada.
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