Non-Importation Act
1806 US law forbidding the import of certain British goods
The Non-Importation Act, passed by the United States Congress on April 18, 1806, forbid any kind of import of certain British goods in an attempt to coerce Britain to suspend its interference with American merchant shipping. The Act was the first in a series of ineffective attempts of Congress and the administrations of President Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to respond economically instead of militarily to disputes with Britain and to other consequences of the Napoleonic Wars. The Act was part of the chain of events leading to the War of 1812.
Background
During the Napoleonic Wars, British and, to a lesser extent, French interference with American merchant shipping prompted Congress to take action. Given the United States' relative weakness compared to these powers, Congress explored economic measures as an alternative to military engagement. While some advocated for a full embargo, others supported more measured actions. After three months of debate, the limited measures gained initial support. The resulting act, effective November 15, 1806, aimed to pressure Britain through economic means and compel it to respect American shipping rights. However, the act's enforcement had unintended consequences for the U.S. economy.
Banned items
The following items were banned under the Non-Importation Act of 1806:
All articles of which leather, silk, hemp, flax, tin (except in sheets), or brass was the material of chief value
All woolen clothes whose invoice prices shall exceed 5/- sterling per square yard
Woolen hosiery of all kinds
Window, glass and glassware
Silver and plated goods
Paper
Nails
Spikes
Hats
Ready-made clothing
Playing cards
Beer, ale and porter
Pictures and prints
The penalties for infraction were a loss of the goods and a fine of three times their value.
“Non-Importation Act” enters the record as 1806 US law forbidding the import of certain British goods. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Non-Importation, forbidding and import can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16958638. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1806 and 1812.
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This entry incorporates text from “Non-Importation Act” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.