Blue-light federalists was a term used by those who believed that certain

Federalists The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

had made friendly ("blue-light") signals to British ships during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

to warn the British of American

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

runners supposedly in 1813 in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

. Then, Commodore Stephen Decatur saw blue lights burning near the mouth of the New London River in sight of the British blockaders. He was convinced that these were signals to betray his plans. The Federalist Party had many members who pushed for peace with Britain, and some of its members opposed further prosecution of the war and were styled as the "blue light" faction by their enemies.David Henry Montgomery, ''The Student's American History''. Ginn & Company, 1905

References

Federalist Party New London, Connecticut War of 1812 {{Warof1812-stub

See also

References