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 French Emperor, used the Continental System.
- The U.S. used economic sanctions to try to protect its trading rights.
Napoleon Expands the Continental System
- The Trianon Decree was issued by Napoleon on August 5, 1810.
- It expanded the Continental System and added tariffs on various products, including cotton, sugar, coffee, and spices.
- The tariff on raw cotton from the United States increased from 60 Francs to 800 Francs.
Additional Details
- The U.S. Minister to France, John Armstrong Jr., sent President James Madison a copy of the tariff.
- Armstrong suggested the tariffs contradicted the Cadore Letter because it added heavy tariffs on American products.
- Madison and Armstrong interpreted the letter to mean that the U.S. would be able to trade with France without restrictions.
- Despite the tariffs, the U.S. did not immediately retaliate.
Significance
The Trianon Decree 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.
Trianon Decree APUSH
The Trianon Decree 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)
