ready and willing in this emergency to form an alliance with
England. The unexpected cession of the entire province of
Louisiana to the United States made the contemplated alliance
with England unnecessary. The United States was no more
successful in its effort to remain neutral during the Napoleonic
wars than it was during the late war, though the slow means of
communication a hundred years ago caused the struggle for
neutral rights to be drawn out for a much longer period of time.
Neither England nor France regarded us as having any rights
which they were bound to respect, and American commerce was
fairly bombarded by French decrees and British orders in
council. There was really not much more reason why we should
have fought England than France, but as England's naval
supremacy enabled her to interfere more effectually with our
commerce on the sea and as this interference was accompanied by
the practice of impressing American sailors into the British
service, we finally declared war against her. No