1807 DRAPED BUST $2.5 MS61

In 1807, the British government refused the US plea to end their practice of impressment where they would commandeer US ships and arrest men they believed to be British sailors who had deserted the Royal Navy. This British practice often led to the arrest of American citizens and in the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, led to an engagement between US and British forces. The refusal of Britain to end the practice would be a leading factor in the initiation of the War of 1812. This 1807 quarter eagle recalls the year that war with Britain became inevitable.