Road to War, Part 3: President Jefferson Declares Economic War
When the Democratic-Republicans came to power in 1800, the Jefferson administration effectively shut down and disbanded both the United States Army and Navy. As a result, when American merchant ships were illegally seized as contraband of war by both the British and the French during the Napoleonic wars, the United States was helpless to respond. Consequently, President Jefferson, who was philosophically opposed to war, decided to strike back economically rather than militarily.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses the Jefferson administration’s economic policies and why it still matters today.
Images courtesy of the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, Naval History and Heritage Command, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Learning Lab, Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States Senate, Wikimedia.
When the Democratic-Republicans came to power in the election of 1800, the Jefferson administration effectively shut down and disbanded both the United States Army and Navy. As a result, when American merchant ships were abused and seized as contraband of war on the high seas and in British and French ports during the Napoleonic wars, the United States was helpless to respond.