Orders in Council

Definition

The Orders in Council were a series of decrees issued by the British government during the Napoleonic Wars that restricted neutral trade with France and its allies. These orders were a key factor leading to the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The first Orders in Council were issued in 1807, prohibiting neutral ships from trading with France or its allies.
2. The Orders in Council were a response to Napoleon's Continental System, which aimed to economically isolate Great Britain.
3. The U.S. saw the Orders in Council as a violation of its neutral rights and a major threat to its commercial interests.
4. The Embargo Act and Non-Intercourse Act were U.S. attempts to retaliate against the British Orders in Council by restricting trade.
5. The failure of these trade restrictions to force the repeal of the Orders in Council was a key factor leading to the outbreak of the War of 1812.

Review Questions

• Explain the purpose and impact of the British Orders in Council during the Napoleonic Wars.
  • The British Orders in Council were a series of decrees issued during the Napoleonic Wars that aimed to restrict neutral trade with France and its allies. The orders were a response to Napoleon's Continental System, which sought to economically isolate Great Britain. For the United States, the Orders in Council were seen as a violation of its neutral rights and a major threat to its commercial interests. The U.S. attempted to retaliate through the Embargo Act and Non-Intercourse Act, but these trade restrictions failed to force the repeal of the Orders in Council, which was a key factor leading to the outbreak of the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Great Britain.
• Analyze how the British Orders in Council contributed to the causes of the War of 1812.
  • The British Orders in Council were a significant contributing factor to the causes of the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. By restricting neutral trade with France and its allies, the orders threatened the commercial interests of the United States, which sought to maintain its neutral rights during the Napoleonic Wars. The U.S. attempts to retaliate through trade restrictions like the Embargo Act and Non-Intercourse Act were unsuccessful in forcing the repeal of the Orders in Council. This, combined with other grievances such as the practice of impressment, led the U.S. to declare war on Great Britain in 1812, as the country felt its sovereignty and economic well-being were being undermined by British policies.
• Evaluate the role of the Orders in Council in the broader context of the geopolitical tensions between the United States and Great Britain in the early 19th century.
  • The British Orders in Council were not an isolated policy, but rather part of a broader pattern of geopolitical tensions between the United States and Great Britain in the early 19th century. The orders were seen by the U.S. as a violation of its neutral rights and a threat to its commercial interests, which were vital to the young nation's economic development. However, the Orders in Council were also reflective of the larger rivalry between the U.S. and Britain, two emerging powers with competing visions for the global order. This rivalry manifested in issues like the practice of impressment, territorial disputes, and conflicting economic interests. The failure to resolve these tensions, of which the Orders in Council were a key part, ultimately led to the outbreak of the War of 1812, a pivotal event in the ongoing geopolitical competition between the United States and Great Britain.

Related terms

Embargo Act: A law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1807 that prohibited American ships from trading with either Great Britain or France in an attempt to remain neutral in the Napoleonic Wars.

Impressment: The practice of forcibly conscripting sailors into the British Royal Navy, which was a major grievance for the United States leading up to the War of 1812.

Neutral Rights: The principle that neutral countries should be able to trade freely with belligerent nations during wartime, which the U.S. sought to uphold against the British Orders in Council.