Answer:
British attacks on American ships during the late 1700s and early 1800s were a major source of tension between the United States and Great Britain. These attacks, which were known as impressment, involved the British navy stopping American ships at sea and forcibly taking sailors from the ships to serve in the British navy. This was done under the claim that these sailors were British subjects who had deserted from the British navy, but many of the sailors taken were actually American citizens. The attacks on American ships also caused the loss of lives and properties, which resulted in anger and frustration among the American public. These actions by the British navy were one of the major reasons for the United States to declare war on Great Britain in 1812.