Considerable success marked Thomas Jefferson’s first term. He acquired Louisiana, reduced government indebtedness, and maintained party uniformity in the legislature.
European affairs marred his second term, however. War between Great Britain and France continued to create problems for American shippers. Jefferson’s more doctrinaire side drove his policy decisions in this crisis. In an attempt to coerce European countries to play nicely with the Americans, Jefferson enacted an embargo in 1807. The act forbade Americans from exporting their goods to any European country and limited the goods imported from Europe. Jefferson believed that Europeans had become so dependent on America’s surpluses that depriving Europe of these goods would force them to recognize to America’s neutral rights.
The embargo failed miserably. It had little effect on European views of American shippers, and it was too short-lived to have any bearing on European supplies. Ultimately, it hurt American citizens most. The unpopularity of the embargo crossed party and regional lines. Farmers, merchants, traders, and artisans alike felt the pain as the American economy contracted. Divisions in the Republican Party began to appear too, as New Englanders became strident in their opposition to the “dambargo” and Jeffersonian foreign policy more generally.
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