No President until Lincoln, save perhaps Madison in his first administration, had so troublesome a time as Jefferson in his second term of office. The rights of the United States, a small, weak power, were not only disregarded by England and France in their deadly struggle, but decrees were issued confiscating property and vessels engaged in what by the laws of nations is now universally held to be a lawful trade. Great Britain impressed sailors from American vessels, and one of her men-of-war arrogantly fought and captured a smaller United States frigate, killing and wounding many of her crew, and taking from the disabled ship her claimed subjects. Jefferson’s great panacea to cure these evils and to bring England and France to respect and grant our rights was the forcing of non-intercourse on the high seas between the United States and all foreign countries--an embargo on all shipping. By virtue of the power in the Constitution to regulate commerce, Jefferson and his party destroyed it. The vessels were left rotting at the wharves, and ship-building and the many industries depending upon it and the sale of the products of the country abroad were stopped. The New England States suffered particularly by this arbitrary decree; they had an extensive and flourishing neutral commerce; their merchants had amassed great wealth. They, as Mr. Webster said, brought the matter to trial before the United States Court; the case was decided against them, and they submitted. No Northern State passed any resolutions affirming the doctrine of its sovereignty and its right to judge of what seemed to many “a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of powers not granted” by the Constitution. Instead of asserting sovereignty to judge, the Massachusetts Legislature passed in 1809 a resolve proposing an amendment of the Constitution prohibiting the laying of an embargo beyond a limited period. The measure failed because of not obtaining the consent of the other States.