Thomas Jefferson On the Legacy of George Washington’s Farewell Message of Neutrality: “For years we have been looking as Spectators on our brethren of Europe, afflicted by all those evils which necessarily follow an abandonment of the moral rules which bind men and nations together.”

Jefferson hoped to avoid war and get Britain and France to Respect American Sovereignty and Neutrality in the Napoleonic Wars

 

His core determination: “To have submitted our rightful commerce to prohibitions and tributary exactions from others, would have been to surrender our independence.”

 

“For years we have been looking as Spectators on our brethren of Europe, afflicted by all those evils which necessarily follow an abandonment of the moral rules which bind men and nations together. Connected with them in friendship and commerce, we have happily so far kept aloof from their calamitous conflicts, by a steady observance of justice towards all, by much forbearance, and multiplied sacrifices. At length however, all regard to the rights of others having been thrown aside, the belligerent Powers have beset the highway of commercial intercourse with Edicts which, taken together expose our commerce and Mariners, under almost every destination, a prey to their fleets and Armies. Each party indeed would admit our commerce with themselves, with the view of associating us in their war against the other. But we have wished war with neither.”

Britain and France had been at war since 1803, after a brief hiatus from their previous conflict. Americans tried hard to remain neutral in this present conflict and keep up communications and trade with both countries. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. In 1806, France passed a law that prohibited trade between Britain and neutral parties, like the U.S., and French warships soon began seizing American merchant ships. In 1807, Britain retaliated, prohibiting trade between neutral parties and France. The British also began seizing American ships and demanding that all American vessels had to check in at British ports before they could trade with any other nation. America was getting the worst end of the deal on all sides.

Along with their attempts to control trade, the British also tried to satisfy their need for sailors at America’s expense. Britain claimed the right to board American ships and take into custody men who were thought to be deserters from the Royal Navy. Most of the time, however, the British had no proof that the men they grabbed were really British deserters, and the U.S. government saw their actions as clear cases of impressment, the seizure of innocent men for forced service in a foreign navy. Shockingly, some ten thousand men were captured from American ships in this era.

The issues between Britain and the U.S. reached a climax on June 22, 1807, with the Chesapeake-Leopard affair. The American ship Chesapeake had just left Norfolk, Virginia, when it was stopped by the British warship Leopard. The Leopard’s commander, Salusbury Pryce Humphreys, demanded that the British be allowed to search the Chesapeake for three deserters rumored to be on board. The Chesapeake’s commander, James Barron, refused. Humphreys was unwilling to take no for an answer, and the Leopard fired on the Chesapeake, killing three and injuring 18. Barron, unable to return more than one shot, was forced to surrender. The British boarded the Chesapeake and seized four men, only one of whom was actually British.

Americans were furious, leading President Thomas Jefferson to remark, “Never since the Battle of Lexington have I seen this country in such a state of exasperation as at present.” America’s neutrality and basic rights as an independent nation were clearly being violated, and something needed to be done about it. Jefferson didn’t want war, but he was willing to take economic measures. He hoped that an embargo would hit the British and French where it would hurt them the most, in the pocketbook.

And so in December 1807 Congress passed and Jefferson signed the Embargo Act. It prevented all U.S. ships and vessels from obtaining clearance to undertake voyages to foreign ports or places. That meant that no needed Americans goods or supplies could reach the belligerents, and also represented an escalation of attempts to coerce Britain and France to stop harassment of American ships, respect American sovereignty and neutrality, as well as to pressure Britain to halt impressment of American sailors. But its main impact was to bring American international trade to a standstill.

The embargo undermined American prosperity and provoked bitter protests, particularly in New England commercial centers which were very hard hit. Support for the declining Federalist Party, which intensely opposed Jefferson, temporarily rebounded there and drove electoral gains in 1808. Throughout New England protest meetings were held, and some town meetings passed resolutions to protest the embargo. A number of towns sent their formal protests to President Jefferson, who responded by having a printed circular letter prepared for his signature, and sending them in response to the towns. The circular letters were carefully worded by Jefferson and contain his thinking on the American foreign affairs and the Embargo.

Printed Letter Signed, two printed pages with ink signature, Washington, September 23, 1808, to the town of Gilmantown, New Hampshire, addressed to its selectman, Thomas Burns, and constituting Jefferson’s foreign policy statement as well as his justification. “To the inhabitants of Gilmanton in legal town meeting assembled. Your representation and request were received on the 22nd instant and have been considered with the attention due to every expression of the sentiments and feelings of so respectable a body of My fellow Citizens. No person has seen, with more concern than myself, the inconveniences brought on our country in general, by the circumstances of the times in which we happen to live; times to which the history of nations presents no parallel. For years we have been looking as Spectators on our brethren of Europe, afflicted by all those evils which necessarily follow an abandonment of the moral rules which bind men and nations together. Connected with them in friendship and commerce, we have happily so far kept aloof from their calamitous conflicts, by a steady observance of justice towards all, by much forbearance, and multiplied sacrifices. At length however, all regard to the rights of others having been thrown aside, the belligerent Powers have beset the highway of commercial intercourse with Edicts which, taken together expose our commerce and Mariners, under almost every destination, a prey to their fleets and Armies. Each party indeed would admit our commerce with themselves, with the view of associating us in their war against the other. but we have wished war with neither.

“Under these circumstances were passed the laws of which you complain, by those delegated to exercise the powers of legislation for you, with every sympathy of a common interest in exercising them faithfully. in reviewing these measures therefore we should advert to the difficulties out of which a choice was of necessity to be made. To have submitted our rightful commerce to prohibitions and tributary exactions from others, would have been to surrender our independence. To resist them by arms was War, without consulting the state of things or the choice of the nation. The alternative preferred by the Legislature of suspending a commerce placed under such unexampled difficulties besides saving to our Citizens their property, and our mariners to their country, has the peculiar advantage of giving time to the belligerent Nations to revise a conduct as contrary to their interests as it is to our rights.

“In the event of such peace or suspension of hostilities between the belligerent Powers of Europe…[the President] is Authorized to suspend the Embargo…You desire that, in this defect of power, Congress may be Specially Convened. It is unnecessary to examine the evidence or the Character of the facts which are supposed to dictate such a call: because you will be sensible, on an attention to dates, that the legal period of their meeting is as early as, in this extensive country, they could be fully convened, by a Special call. I should, with great willingness have executed the wishes of the Inhabitants of Gilmanton—had peace, or a repeal of the obnoxious Edicts, or other changes, produced the case in which alone the laws have given me that Authority: And so many Motives of justice and interest lead to Such Changes, that we ought Continually to expect them. but while these edicts remain, the Legislature alone can prescribe the course to be pursued.”

Unfortunately, Jefferson was unsuccessful in his attempts to avoid a war. The embargo failed, and the United States declared war on Great British four years later, in the War of 1812. America’s trading rights would not be resolved until the end of that war when the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1815.