Answer:
President Thomas Jefferson hoped that the Embargo Act of 1807 would help the United States by demonstrating to Britain and France their dependence on American goods, convincing them to respect American neutrality and stop impressing American seamen. Instead, the act had a devastating effect on American trade. He believed that economic coercion would convince Britain and France to respect America's neutral rights. The embargo was an unpopular and costly failure. It hurt the American economy far more than the British or French, and resulted in widespread smuggling. Instead, smuggling flourished, particularly through Canada. American merchants lost huge amounts of money because of the act, which prevented merchants from selling goods to either nation.