The British orders and the French decrees, the so-called right of search and finally the actual attacking of American war vessels seemed to leave the United States government no peaceful way out of her situation. Presi dent Jefferson, however, suggested in 1807 that an embargo be laid on all American shipping. Congress had already prepared the way for such a policy at its previous session in the Non Importation Law which had not been put into force until a few weeks before. Congress as sembled in November 1807 and immediately fell in with the President's idea of starving Europe into a recognition of the rights of neu tral trade. The embargo went into effect in December 1807 and remained in force until 4 March 1809. This law solved none of the diffi culties it was intended to solve. Opposition to the measure became so great that an Enforce ment Act was passed. This gave the President despotic powers; yet the commercial sections of the country resisted the law and smuggling became so general in New England that local officers of the United States declined to make any effort to stop it. The South suffered much hardship, too: tobacco and wheat, the principal commodities of export, shrank to one-half their former value. The Union itself seemed about to go to pieces just before the close of 'Jeffer son's administration.
In place of the embargo a second Non-inter course Act was substituted, which, though it practically prohibited trade with the great war ring powers of Europe, gave some promise of improving the condition of commerce. With this change of policy Madison became President, 4 March 1809. England now sent a new Min ister, David Erskine, who speedily negotiated a treaty which promised the withdrawal of the Orders in Council. Madison suspended the non-intercourse against Great Britain on 10 June 1809 by proclamation. The merchants and ship-owners who had respected the non-impor tation hastened their goods and ships to sea. On 10 June 600 vessels sailed from American ports to take chances with their enemies in Europe. In July the news that Erskine's Treaty had been disavowed by the London Cabinet and that Erskine himself had been re called came as a painful surprise to the Amer ican people. Madison issued at once a second proclamation which recalled the first and re placed the former restrictions on English trade. The British Cabinet now sent F. J. Jackson to the United States. Jackson completed the alien ation of the American government. He in sulted the President and ruined his own cause by insisting that Madison had duped Erskine into signing the recent treaty. The new Min ister was summarily dismissed. Rose, another British representative, appeared next year in Washington, but his efforts availed nothing so long as his government forbade him to yield the great point in question — the repeal of the Orders in Council.
The year 1809 proved the non-intercourse ineffective, more injurious to Americans than to England and France, for now both powers had a chance to enrich themselves by enforcing the laws of the United States against her own com merce. Napoleon proposed in his Rambouillet
decree (March 1810) to seize every vessel within his reach, that is, in the French harbors, on the ground that such vessels had, perhaps, rec ognized England's Orders in Council and were thus subject to his Milan decree; or if not, then they had violated the laws of their own country in offering to trade at all with either France or England. In a few months $10,000,000 worth of property was thus seized and finally confis cated. Before Napoleon issued his Rambouil let decree the American Congress had resolved to repeal the Non-importation Act. In place of it a new law was passed which held out a sort of bribe to England and France: in case either nation should cease to violate the commerce of the United States then non-importation should be revived against the other and maintained until neutral trade ceased to be violated. Na poleon again turned an American law to his own advantage: he announced that his decrees would be suspended as against the United States after 1 Nov. 1810, if by that time Eng land had suspended her orders or if the United States "caused her flag to be respected." How ever, he continued to sequester American car goes. President Madison considered this a suf ficient concession. He gave England warning that non-intercourse would be enforced against her if the orders were not rescinded Feb. 1811. When the time expired, no action having been taken by England, Congress renewed the former law and prohibited all importation of English goods. This caused some alarm in England, but there was no abatement of im pressments. A new Minister was sent to Washington. His instructions, however, still permitted no promises of any change in Brit ish policy.
While the ire of America was constantly ris ing there came the news in May 1811, only three months before most of the Congressional elec tions were to take place, that the United States frigate, President, had encountered the British sloop, Little Belt, after a hot chase of several hours, and practically annihilated her. Never was news more welcome to American ears. The °Chesapeake affair" had been avenged. Min ister Foster wrote his government that the Americans no longer pressed for reparation on that score. Public meetings were again held and the newspapers, especially in the South, were filled with exaggerated accounts of what had happened. Other events occurred during the summer and autumn of 1811 which tended to hasten the breach with England. The In dians on the western frontier from Fort Dear born to northern Georgia formed a confedera tion against the United States. Tecumseh, the famous Shawnee chief, was the soul of the movement. It came to a battle at Tippecanoe, in western Indiana, on 7 Nov. 1811. The Ameri cans, under Gen. William Henry Harrison, gained a complete victory. Tecumseh joined the English soon after and the general belief that England instigated the Indian attacks was confirmed. Harrison's victory was the second good omen of the year.