RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Today is December 22. On this day in history, in 1807, Congress passed the Embargo Act at the urging of Thomas Jefferson.

Historians rate this in the top ten of bone-headed mistakes made by US presidents.

The idea was to deprive Britain and France of US exports. It devastated American commerce, and greatly increased smuggling. It was repealed just before Jefferson left office.

Jefferson's Embargo Act was a shockingly stupid move for a man who was very brilliant. . .but people overlook Jefferson's repeal of aspects of the dreaded "Alien and Sedition" Acts (nothing more than arresting critics of the government) One could say that Jefferson was a far superior writer and academic than a leader- with hits and misses during his presidency.

The problems that Thomas Jefferson faced as President had been existant since the Washington Administration, and it seemed, as time went on, the call for action grew louder. The President's first major issue was how to deal with the Barbary Pirates, whom were attacking American ships at sea. For years, the United States had been paying the Barbary States (these states would later become Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripolitania) to keep them from harassing American ships at sea. In 1801, Jefferson refused to pay the fee, sent warships to the Mediterranean, blockaded the small nation, and tried unsuccessfully to promote a coup in Tripoli. The war ended when Jefferson agreed to pay one more payment of tribute to Tripoli. While Jefferson's refusal to pay the fee is admirable and a sign of bold leadership, the President indefinately backed down when all of the naval and covert operations against the Barbary states failed. However, mounting tensions with the British overshadowed this. The British navy continued impressing American sailors. Tensions mounted in 1807, when a British warship fired on an American naval vessel, killing three Americans. Outcries for war burst throughout the entire nation. Jefferson, however, fearful of a war, banned all British ships from U.S. harbors and suspended trade with all of Europe, hoping that this would hurt the British and force them to halt their attacks on American ships and respect U.S. neutrality in European affairs. This effort, however, failed, and devastated the American economy. Jefferson left office with tensions with Great Britain continuing to mount, which eventually led to the War of 1812 in the Madison Administration. In the final analysis, while it is often common to give Jefferson a five, as the father of the Declaration of Independence (much like Washington as the father of our country), a closer analysis proves that Jefferson failed to exhibit bold leadership and always backed down, even when American interests were at stake. His embargo on all of Europe only hurt the United States, and it was eventually replaced with the Non-Intercourse Act, banning trade only with England. In both of the significant crises he faced as President, Jefferson failed to exhibit the bold leadership which is needed when the credibility of a new nation is at stake.