On this day in 1807, the U.S. Congress passed the Embargo Act.

The Embargo Act was a series of laws passed by the Congress of the United States between the years 1806-1808, during the second term of President Thomas Jefferson. It was partly brought upon by the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair involving Britain attacking U.S. ships, and partly by Britain prohibiting its trading partners from trading with France. Britain and France were at war;[clarification needed] the U.S. was neutral and trading with both sides, although each side tried to hinder American trade with the other. Jefferson’s goal was to use economic warfare instead of military warfare to secure the rights of Americans. Initially, these acts sought to punish the United Kingdom for its violations of American rights on the high seas; among these were the impressment of sailors of American ships–sailors who claimed to be American citizens but whom the Royal Navy suspected as deserters. The later Embargo Acts, particularly those of 1807-1808 period, were passed in an attempt to stop Americans and American communities that sought to–or were suspected of intending to–defy the embargo. However, they caused significant economic damage to Americans – exports plummeted from $108 million in 1807 to $22 million in 1808.[1] These Acts were ultimately repealed at the end of Jefferson’s second (and last) term. A modified version of these Acts would return for a brief time in 1813 under the presidential administration of Jefferson’s successor, James Madison.

Nothing is like it used to be. These days, aides would get Plantar Fasciitis walking copies back and forth to the Hill.

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