Mell Why was the Royal Navy pressing seamen into military service?
The Royal Navy had been pressing seamen from civilian vessels into military service for the duration of its existence. However, those civilians had always been British subjects. Obviously, the Americans had become independent and did not consider themselves subjects of the British Empire any more. So, how was this tactic justified?
Why was the British Navy kidnapping American sailors?
It may seem hard to believe, but there was a time when the British Royal Navy asserted the right simply to capture American sailors and press them into service in the British Navy.
Why did the British send lesser warships to North America?
Due to their divided focus, the British could only send lesser warships to North America, and so the United States had some success in the war at sea. American privateers wreaked havoc on British merchant shipping. In contrast, Americans fared far worse in the war on land.
When did the British start impressing American sailors?
This changed in 1805 when the British began seizing American merchantmen trading with the West Indies and condemning the ships and their cargoes as a prize and enforcing impressment on their crews.
Why were American sailors kidnapped by the Royal Navy?
Therefore, anybody on an American ship who had been born during the colonial era could rightfully be taken and pressed into service for the Crown. Additionally, many deserters from the British Navy had joined American companies in order to receive better pay. Some of them had obtained naturalized American citizenship.
Why did the British not care about the Napoleonic Wars?
The British hardly pay attention to it at all, since the Napoleonic Wars were of much greater consequence to them. Once Napoleon was defeated, the British no longer had a pressing need for more seamen to maintain their navy.