Impressment is the forced recruitment of conscripts (involuntary recruits) for military service. The term impressment is generally used to describe the forced recruitment of men into Great Britain’s Royal Navy during the 1700’s and early 1800’s. At that time, conditions in the Royal Navy were so bad that it was difficult to find volunteers. Many British sailors deserted, preferring the better conditions and better pay of the American merchant marine. British warships began stopping American ships in search of deserters, often impressing American citizens in the process. This practice was one of the causes of the War of 1812 (1812-1815).
In Great Britain, groups of seamen called press gangs scoured the streets of seaside towns and the surrounding districts. They seized any able-bodied man they could find—usually of the lower classes—and sent him under escort to serve at sea. Hatred of the press gangs, who had the right to separate men from their families, sometimes led to violent demonstrations. The practice of impressment ended in the early 1800’s.
