As the French Revolution continued, American ships were being attacked by both the British and French. The U.S. wanted to remain neutral because it was unable to protect the ships and did not want to start a war. As a result, Jefferson instituted the Embargo Act in 1807, which stopped American goods from being exported to foreign countries (Palmer). This halted commerce in the U.S. and eventually sparked the War of 1812. The time period during the war saw the first industrial revolution caused by the shipping crisis that forced Americans to look more towards their own nation to manufacture goods instead of relying on foreign trade. The war was also considered the second war for independence because America was able to defeat the largest world power at the time