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The Embargo Act of 1807 was a general trade embargo on all foreign nations that was enacted by the United States Congress.As a successor or replacement law for the 1806 Non-importation Act and passed as the Napoleonic Wars continued, it represented an escalation of attempts to persuade Britain to stop any impressment of American sailors and to respect American sovereignty and neutrality but ...
In total, the collective term "Orders in Council" refers to more than a dozen sets of blockade decrees in the years 1783, 1793, 1794, 1798, 1799, 1803–1809, 1811, and 1812; it is most often associated in particular with the decrees of 7 January 1807, 11 November 1807, and 26 April 1809 which were most inflammatory to the Americans.
The Chesapeake–Leopard affair was a naval engagement off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, on June 22, 1807, between the British fourth-rate HMS Leopard and the American frigate USS Chesapeake. The crew of Leopard pursued, attacked, and boarded the American frigate, looking for deserters from the Royal Navy . [ 1 ]
With tariffs providing the basic federal revenue, an embargo on trade, or an enemy blockade, would threaten havoc. This happened in connection with the American economic warfare against Britain in the 1807–15 period. In 1807 imports dropped by more than half and some products became much more expensive or unobtainable.
The Embargo Act of 1807 would prove to damage the American economy severely. It in turn was superseded by the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809 and subsequently Macon's Bill Number 2. All were clearly ineffective. Eventually the War of 1812 interrupted economic growth, mooting American economic warfare attempts. [6]
Federalists were opposed to war with the United Kingdom before 1812, which can be seen in their opposition to the Embargo of 1807.While many Democratic-Republicans thought of the war as a "test of the Republic", Federalists denounced calls for war, with John Randolph advising Madison to abandon the thought of war, as it would threaten United States commerce. [5]
This double threat created a difficult time for neutral nations like the United States. In response to this prohibition, the U.S. government adopted the Embargo Act of 1807 and eventually Macon's Bill Number 2. This embargo was designed as an economic counterattack to hurt Britain, but it proved even more damaging to American merchants.
Macon's Bill Number 2 was the fourth in a series of embargo measures, coming after the Non-Importation Act, the Embargo Act, and the Non-Intercourse Act (1809). Macon neither wrote the bill nor approved it. [2] The law lifted all embargoes with Britain and France for three months.