How Did The Embargo Act Play In The Declaration Of Independence

A lover of books and agriculture, a man more used to residing behind the scenes, and author of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson, was a Republican-Democratic and the third president of the United States. Jefferson preferred a strict interpretation of the Constitution, a non centralized government, and instead leaving power to the states. He wanted to build the country on agriculture as opposed to Alexander Hamilton, his long-standing rival, on industrialization. However, going against his instincts, Jefferson was forced due to circumstances like foreign affairs, into becoming a more powerful executive, leading a more centralized government, than he might have desired. During Jefferson’s time in Washington’s cabinet as Secretary

The Embargo Act prohibited American ships from trading with foreign countries, which led to a decline in America’s economy. France had created a law declaring no trade with any neutral countries such as America, and Britain followed through soon after. American ships were being seized by both Britain and France and the men onboard the ships were forced into service in the foreign navy. Britain justified this action by saying, “Once an Englishman, always an Englishman.” Jefferson couldn’t just sit back during these disasters, but he didn’t want a war and wanted to keep AMerica out of conflict, so he created the Embargo Act in the hopes that it would affect France and Britain more than it would the United States. His plan failed when America started suffering at a faster rate than the foreign countries and the smuggling trade started and port authorities had the right to seize ships under any suspicion. The public was exceedingly opposed to the Embargo Act, and Britain was still receiving goods through illegal trade. France was almost pleased with the Act because it supported Napoleon's Continental System. Because of the failure of the Embargo Act, he signed the Non-Intercourse Act three days before he resigned, which allowed America to trade with all countries except for Britain and

Jefferson was a supporter of ending the slave trade even though he had owned many slaves throughout his life. With the westward expansion of the Louisiana Purchase, he initially thought that slavery would diffuse with the spreading out of people, and even wrote to John Adams about it in one of his many letters, to which John Adams replied along the lines of, “When cancer spreads, it kills.” Jefferson also had a famous affair with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings, whom he is even rumoured to have had children with. The Louisiana Purchase didn’t have affect slavery to the extent with which he thought, but due to Jefferson’s leadership, slave importation was banned in Virginia. The land acquired during the Louisiana Purchase was separated into territories, and each territory passed slavery laws similar to those in the south. After Jefferson’s time as president ended and he retired home to Monticello, he put almost no effort into ending the slavery and instead . His time as president had forced him and his ideals to change or give up. Towards the end of his life, he even owed so much debt that he gave up a portion of his slaves to pay it off. After his retirement, Jefferson’s policy towards slavery changed drastically, and he even quoted, “there is not a man on earth who would sacrifice more than I would, to relieve us from this heavy reproach [slavery] … we have the wolf by the ear, and we