The United States did not help Napoleon directly for several practical, political, and economic reasons, despite some ideological sympathy from Jeffersonian Republicans who admired the French Revolution. First, the US was a young, weak republic with a tiny army and navy that could not afford a major European war against Britain and its allies, and it had a long-standing policy of neutrality in European conflicts established by George Washington's Farewell Address. Second, American interests were actually harmed by Napoleon's policies. Napoleon's Berlin and Milan Decrees and Britain's Orders in Council both blockaded American trade, leading to the War of 1812 against Britain rather than an alliance with France, as Britain's blockade was more damaging to US shipping. Third, by the time Napoleon was at his height, Thomas Jefferson had already purchased Louisiana from Napoleon in 1803, which was a huge benefit to the US, but that was a financial transaction, not a military alliance, and Napoleon sold it because he needed money and could not defend it. Fourth, the US was politically divided, with Federalists favoring Britain for trade and New England merchants opposing war with Britain. Finally, Napoleon himself never seriously sought an American alliance because America was too distant and militarily insignificant to affect European battlefields. The US benefited indirectly from Napoleon distracting Britain, but direct help was impractical and against American strategic interests of staying out of European entanglements.
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