"Our commerce is annihilated, our agriculture languishes... the embargo, instead of coercing our enemies, has destroyed ourselves." — Federalist newspaper, Boston, 1808
The dramatic 1808 drop shown on the chart most directly resulted from which policy?
- A
The Hartford Convention's resolutions against the federal government
- B
Madison's declaration of war on Great Britain
- C
British impressment of American sailors at unprecedented rates
- Dcheck_circle
Jefferson's Embargo Act, which prohibited American ships from trading with foreign ports
Explanation
The Embargo Act of 1807 banned American exports, hoping to pressure Britain and France. Instead it devastated U.S. commerce, especially in New England, as the chart's 1808 collapse illustrates.