First came a non-importation Act, 1806, followed by an embargo on exports, 1807, but these were so unpopular in the commercial states of New England that they were withdrawn in 1810, yet for a short time only, for Napoleon tricked the United States into believing that France had yielded to American contentions on neutral rights, and in 1811 non-intercourse was proclaimed again with England alone.

On June 18, 1812, America finally declared war and trade stopped save in a few New England ports where rebellious citizens continued to sell provisions to a blockading British naval squadron.
For eight years after 1806, then, trade with Great Britain had steadily decreased, finally almost to extinction during the war.

But America required certain articles customarily imported and necessity now forced her to develop her own manufactures.

New England had been the centre of American foreign commerce, but now there began a trend toward manufacturing enterprise.

Even in 1814, however, at the end of the war, it was still thought in the United States that under normal conditions manufactured goods would again be imported and the general cry of "protection for home industries" was as yet unvoiced.