Pressing+Issues+with+Britain+France+and+America

What is Impressment
Impressment, also know as "the press" or "press gang", the act of taking men into a navy by [|force]  and with or without notice. It was used by the [|Royal Navy] , s tarting about 1664 and continuing on through the eighteenth and nineteenth century. A Press-gang is a detachment of men under command of an officer empowered to force men into military or naval service. Impressment was highly criticized by those who believed it opposed the [|British constitution].

 An act of May 28, 1796 (1 Stat. 477), authorized the President to appoint agents at foreign ports who were charged with the following duties:

... to inquire into the situation of such American citizens or others, sailing, conformably to the law of nations, under the protection of the American flag, [who are] impressed or detained by any foreign power, to endeavor, by all legal means, to obtain the release of such American citizens or others....

**Order of protection**
Some individuals were protected from the press:


 * apprentices already indentured to a master
 *  seamen with less than two years' experience at sea
 *  fishermen
 * others associated with maritime trade and industry such as riggers, shipwrights, and sail-makers.

Each "protected man" was required to carry with him a document called a protection that identified him and his trade.  Legally, foreigners were protected from the press, but this legality was often ignored, and the practice of pressing men at sea became common. In the eyes of the Royal Navy, all Englishmen were available for service even if they were on the ship of a foreign nation. Therefore, it was not uncommon for British naval vessels to stop American ships searching for English crewmen. During these searches, American sailors who could not prove their citizenship were often pressed While the actual number of Americans pressed into service in the Royal Navy is unknown, it is estimated that a thousand American seamen per year were illegally pressed into British service. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The people the British press crews took were known as Roderick Random.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When a hurricane damaged two French ships, they pulled into the Chesapeake Bay for repair. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During that time, the British set up a blockade around the bay. Being so close to land, four men decided to take their chance at freedom from the harsh life in the Royal Navy. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">Three of them--William Ware, Daniel Martin, and John Strachan--were Americans. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">The fourth was a British sailor, Jenkins Ratford. They all made their way to Portsmouth, where they were spotted by their commanding officers. Seeking protection from arrest, all four runaway sailors enlisted on the U.S. frigate //Chesapeake//, which was in Portsmouth preparing for a cruise to the Mediterranean. An investigation by commodore James Barron found out that Ware, Martin, and Strachan were all American citizens. The Chesapeake refused to return the four men.
 * Chesapeake Affair **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">Humphreys responded by firing seven broadsides into the //Chesapeake// at extremely close range, killing 3 men and wounding 18 more. The //Chesapeake// was unprepared for battle, and in her state of panic and confusion, so little was done to resist.

First, we wondered what it was like for pressed Americans on British ships. We didn't find exactly what we were looking for, but we did find a very useful source on archives.gov. We then realized that we weren't quite sure what impressment was exactly, so we went immediately to find that out. In doing so, we found what exactly happened with the Chesapeake. We also learned that it wasn't just the British pressing ships, it was pretty much everyone involved. We were all rather surprised when we learned that some people were protected from the press, so we had to learn more about that.
 * Questions and interpretation **

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