The War of 1812

    After the impressment of sailors, and the French and British seizing American ships, American were outraged. Jefferson, who was re-elected for a second term could not ignore the British and French attacks. He wanted to avoid war. Jefferson then asked Congress to pass the Embargo act which banned U.S. ships from sailing to any foreign port. It also closed American ports to ships from other countries. Jefferson thought that cutting off U.S. trade would make Britain and France promise to respect U.S. ships. The act was a disaster. The nation became crippled because of the lack of import and export. The government lost income. The embargo became a major issue in the election of 1808, when James Madison was elected president. During Madison's presidency, Congress repealed the act in 1809. Madison's solution was to allow merchants to trade with every country but France and Britain. Trade with the French and British would start again when they agreed to respect American Ships. However, this law proved no more effective than the embargo. This leads to the War of 1812.