The peace of 1783 and the acknowledgment of American independence did not restore friendly relations between England and the United States.  It was not in human nature that a proud and powerful state like England should see the disruption of her empire and her fairest foreign possession torn from her without embittered feelings, leading to acts which could not be justified by international law or by enlightened reason.  Accordingly, the government of Great Britain treated the American envoys with rudeness, insolence, and contempt, much to their chagrin and the indignation of Americans generally.  It also adopted measures exceedingly injurious to American commerce.  France and England being at war, the Americans, as neutrals, secured most of the carrying trade, to the disgust of British merchants; and, declaring mutual blockade, both French and English cruisers began to capture American trading-ships, the English being especially outrageous in their doings.  Said Jefferson, in his annual message in 1805:  “Our coasts have been infested and our harbors watched by private armed vessels.  They have captured in the very entrance of our harbors, as well as on the high seas, not only the vessels of our friends coming to trade with us, but our own also.  They have carried them off under pretence of legal adjudication; but not daring to approach a court of justice, they have plundered and sunk them by the way, or in obscure places where no evidence could arise against them, maltreated the crews, and abandoned them in boats in the open sea, or on desert shores without food or covering.”  In view of these things, the President recommended the building of gunboats and the reorganization of the militia, and called attention to materials in the navy-yards for constructing battleships.  The English even went further and set up a claim to the right of search; sailors were taken from American ships to be impressed into their naval service, on the plea—­generally unfounded—­that they were British subjects and deserters.  At last British audacity went so far as to attack an American frigate at Hampton Roads, and carry away four alleged British sailors, three of whom were American born.  The English doctrine that no man could expatriate himself was not allowed by America, where immigrants and new citizens were always welcome; but in the case of native Americans there could be no question as to their citizenship.  This outrage aroused indignation from one end of the country to the other, and a large party clamored for war.

But the policy of Jefferson was pacific.  He abhorred war, and entered into negotiations, which came to nothing.  Nor, to his mind, was the country prepared for war.  We had neither army nor navy to speak of.  It was plain that we should be beaten on the land and on the sea.  Much as he hated England, he preferred to temporize, and build a few gunboats,—­which everybody laughed at.

Nor did the French government behave much better than the English.  It looked upon the United States as an unsettled and weak country, to be robbed with impunity.  At last, driven from the high seas, the Americans could rely only on the coasting-trade.  “One half the mercantile world was sealed up by the British, and the other half by the French.”