I.

Introduction

Embargo Act, law that prohibited United States vessels from trading with European nations during the Napoleonic Wars. Passed by Congress in December 1807 over Federalist opposition and at the behest of President Thomas Jefferson, the Embargo Act was a response to restrictive measures imposed on American neutrality by France and Britain, at war with each other. Specifically, Napoleon sought to blockade his foe by forbidding any nation to trade with Britain. The latter retaliated by banning neutral trade with France and its allies. Vessels violating either the French or British blockades would be seized; thus, the neutral U.S. risked the loss of merchant ships to both sides. To pressure the belligerents to respect neutral rights and to demonstrate the value of trade with the U.S., Jefferson responded with the embargo instead of open warfare. A supplemental act in 1808 sought to strengthen the embargo's effects by eliminating commerce over inland waters and, consequently, a booming international trade via Canada.