28 CAPTAIN ZACHARY G. LAMSON 



country unheeded, the Congress of the 

 United States on Dec. 22, 1807, passed the 

 Embargo Act. The Embargo was a favor- 

 ite measure of President Jefferson's, and 

 he was loyally supported in it by the Re- 

 publican party, which was at this time in 

 the ascendency. It was bitterly opposed 

 by the Federalists, and particularly by 

 those from New England. 



They opposed it because they believed 

 the act unjust, unnecessary and not fitted 

 to accomplish the object aimed at. Un- 

 just they thought it, in that it bore heavily 

 on one section of the country and one pur- 

 suit. Unnecessary, in that it was still pos- 

 sible to carry on a fairly remunerative com- 

 merce under present conditions, with a 

 chance to improve them by negotiations. 

 And not fitted to accomplish the object 

 aimed at, because they knew the dogged 

 obstinacy of the English character, the 

 necessity, to English minds at least, in the 

 struggle in which they were engaged, of 

 acts not otherwise to be defended, and they 



