The Embargo Act of 1807, which restricted trade between the United States and the two warring nations of Britain and France, was designed to exert economic pressure on Britain, previously America's main trading partner, to respect American neutrality, and to end the British policy of impressing Americans into naval service. The embargo did not convince Britain, but did prove economically disastrous for America. It became widely unpopular, especially among Federalist merchants in New England, who relied on trade with Britain for their livelihood.
