Essential Facts
Background
- Britain and France were at war with each other during the Napoleonic Wars.
- Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France, closed the northern coast of Germany, a neutral area, to British ships.
British Response to Napoleon’s Blockade
- On May 16, 1806, issued an Order in Council that established the “Fox Blockade.”
- It was named after British politician Charles James Fox.
- It affected European ports under French control from the Elbe River, at present-day Hamburg, Germany, to Brest, on the northwest corner of France.
- It prevented American ships from accessing French ports within the blockade area.
- American ships were still allowed to access ports in neutral nations within the area.
- Napoleon responded to the Fox Blockade with the Berlin Decree.
Significance
The Fox Blockade is important to American History because it was part of the trade war between Britain and France that affected the United States during the New Nation Era. Although the U.S. tried to defend its trade rights as a neutral nation, Britain continued to harass American ships, which contributed to the outbreak of the War of 1812.
Fox Blockade APUSH
The Fox Blockade 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
