The Embargo Act of 1807

The British needed sailors because of their naval war. Many of their own sailors had deserted due to the terrible living conditions including hard labor, harsh treatment, and terrible food—in the British Royal Navy. The British started to search American ships for suspected British deserters. The British then forced these deserters to return to the British navy.

The British impressed hundreds of American citizens. The practice of forcing people into military or naval services is called impressment.

The British often waited for American ships outside an American harbor, where they boarded and searched them. In June 1807, the British warship Leopard stopped the American vessel Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia. The Leopard's captain demanded that he be allowed to search the American ship for British deserters, but the Chesapeake's captain refused. In reply, the British opened fire, crippling the Chesapeake and killing three crew members.

President Jefferson wanted to avoid war. When Britain violated America's neutral rights, Jefferson banned some trade with Britain. After the attack on the Chesapeake, he took stronger measures.

Congress passed the Embargo Act in December 1807. An embargo stops trade with another country. The act targeted Great Britain, but the embargo banned imports from and exports to all foreign countries. Jefferson wanted to prevent Americans from using other countries as middlemen for forbidden trade.

The embargo of 1807 was terrible. Ships were stuck in their harbors causing unemployment to rise in New England. Without European markets, the South could not sell its tobacco or cotton. The price for wheat fell in the West, and river traffic stopped. Congress repealed the Embargo Act in March 1809 and replaced it with the Nonintercourse Act. This act, which prohibited trade only with Britain and France, was also unsuccessful.