USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Impressment, colloquially “the press” or the “press gang", is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. European navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means.

Detailed explanation-2: -By British law, naval captains had the right to stop ships at sea, search for deserters and other British citizens, and force them to join the crews of warships-a practice called “impressment.” Some British captains seized almost any able-bodied, English-speaking sailors they could find.

Detailed explanation-3: -Impressment was the practice of forcing men to serve in the military against their will. Most often used by the British Navy, impressment often involved violence. Forcing someone to join the military might seem a little extreme, but the British navy used the method for centuries.

Detailed explanation-4: -Naval impressment Impressment was vigorously enforced during the naval wars of the 18th century by Acts passed in 1703, 1705, 1740 and 1779. The men pressed into service were usually sailors in the merchant fleets, but might just as often be ordinary apprentices and labourers.

Detailed explanation-5: -Impressment, or “press gang” as it was more commonly known, was recruitment by force. It was a practice that directly affected the U.S. and was even one of the causes of the War of 1812. The British navy consistently suffered manpower shortages due to the low pay and a lack of qualified seamen.