Thomas Jefferson addressing a group of disgruntled men as he defends the policy of his Embargo Act. At Jefferson’s request the two houses of Congress considered and passed the Embargo Act quickly in December 1807.
Who was the Embargo Act of 1807 directed at?
On December 22, 1807, President Thomas Jefferson (1801–09) signed the Embargo Act, which prohibited from leaving the United States ships destined for any foreign port. The legislation had been drawn up to pressure France and Britain.
Did James Madison pass the Embargo Act?
Just prior to James Madison’s assumption of office, Congress passed the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809, which replaced Jefferson’s failed embargo. It allowed the resumption of world trade with the exclusion of trade with England and France, thus barring French and British vessels from American ports.