The History Channel, original podcast.

History this week, April 18, 1806.

I'm Sally Helm.

The point of this law is that it is not directly an act of war. And it certainly doesn't sound like one.

It's called an act to prohibit the importation of certain goods, wares, and merchandise.

Specifically, goods made of leather, silk, hemp, or flax, tin or brass, not tin sheets, though, those get an exception.

Also window glass, playing cards. The list goes on. Starting later this year, the U.S. says that

it will not be buying any of those things from its former colonizer, Great Britain.

Today, President Thomas Jefferson signs this non-importation act of 1806, likely in his private

study, possibly with his pet mockingbird on his shoulder.

And with this law, Jefferson is trying to fight fire with paper, which is not famously a very effective way to fight fire, but he's giving it a shot.

Because the revolutionary war is still pretty recent. And the U.S. is now in danger of getting drawn into another war with Britain, which they're not really prepared

for. And anyway, Jefferson believes in the power of ideas over the power of weapons.

The danger exists here because Britain is at war with France.

They are fighting Napoleon. And in the course of that war, both countries, Britain and France,

have been apprehending American merchant ships.

They don't want helpful goods making it to their enemies.

And Britain has been especially bold.

They have set up repeated blockades of New York Harbor to stop goods from getting out to France.

And not only that, they have also taken to boarding American vessels, claiming to be looking for British deserters.

But in practice, they end up just basically kidnapping Americans who work on those ships and forcing them to start fighting in the British Navy.

This is known as impressment. And understandably, it has people

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