Essay On The Embargo Act

Words: 551
Pages: 3

In 1807 the Embargo Act was put in place by the United States it was an Embargo on foreign trade to try an avoid war. Jefferson thought of the Embargo Act as an idealistic experiment and as a alternative of war. Jefferson believed that the action of the Embargo Act would show France and Britain to respect the United States neutral right's. Then the Embargo Act turned out to be a costly and unpopular. The Embargo Act actually hurt the United States economy so bad that, it resulted to smuggling. Also, many exports fell from $180 million dollars in 1807 to $22 million dollars in 1808. Many farmers sales plummeted and many shippers suffered, harbors filled up with 30,000 idle ships and many sailors found themselves jobless.

Jefferson thought that the citizens of America would cooperate from the Embargo Act with a sense of patriotism, but instead smuggling continued but mostly on the border of Canada. Jefferson had to enforce the Embargo Act, but to do that he would have to break his most cherished principles; individual liberties, and his dislikes of a strong Central Government. Thomas Jefferson then mobilized the army, as well as the navy to enforce the blockade and also declared that the Lake Champlain a region of New York along the Canadian border in a state of violent uprisings. Then thoughts of abandoning the Embargo Act started
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The Embargo Act did give the United States economic hardship, political dissension, and the evasion of law. By the failure of the Embargo Act Thomas Jefferson couldn't wait for his retirement as president as Thomas Jefferson stated "Never did a prisoner, released from his chains, feel such relief as I shall on shaking off the shackles of power.'' Then in 1809 Congress replaced the Embargo Act with the Non-intercourse Act * which reopened trade with all nations except Britain and