Essential Facts
Background
- Britain and France were at war with each other during the Napoleonic Wars.
- They were using blockades and trade embargoes to disrupt each other’s trade with foreign nations, such as the United States.
- Britain used Orders in Council, while Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France, used the Continental System.
America Responds to European Trade Restrictions
- The U.S. responded to European sanctions with the Embargo Act of 1812.
- It banned American shippers from trading with all foreign nations.
- It was designed as a 60-day embargo but was extended to 90 days.
Significance
The Embargo Act of 1812 is important to American History because it increased tensions between the United States, Great Britain, and France and restricted American trade. The tensions contributed to the outbreak of the War of 1812.
Embargo Act of 1812 APUSH
The Embargo Act of 1812 is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum:
Unit 4: 1800–1848
- Topic 4.4 — America on the World Stage
American Pageant Notes
- Chapter 11 — Triumphs and Travails of the Jeffersonian Republic (1800–1812)
- Chapter 12 — The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism (1812–1824)
American History Central
- Foreign Affairs in the New Nation
- War of 1812 — Causes of the War, Maritime Disputes
