<P> Impressment , colloquially , `` the press '' or the `` press gang '' , refers to the act of taking men into a military or naval force by compulsion , with or without notice . Navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means . The large size of the British Royal Navy in the Age of Sail meant impressment was most commonly associated with Britain . It was used by the Royal Navy in wartime , beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries as a means of crewing warships , although legal sanction for the practice can be traced back to the time of Edward I of England . The Royal Navy impressed many merchant sailors , as well as some sailors from other , mostly European , nations . People liable to impressment were `` eligible men of seafaring habits between the ages of 18 and 55 years '' . Non-seamen were impressed as well , though rarely . </P>
<P> Impressment , colloquially , `` the press '' or the `` press gang '' , refers to the act of taking men into a military or naval force by compulsion , with or without notice . Navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means . The large size of the British Royal Navy in the Age of Sail meant impressment was most commonly associated with Britain . It was used by the Royal Navy in wartime , beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries as a means of crewing warships , although legal sanction for the practice can be traced back to the time of Edward I of England . The Royal Navy impressed many merchant sailors , as well as some sailors from other , mostly European , nations . People liable to impressment were `` eligible men of seafaring habits between the ages of 18 and 55 years '' . Non-seamen were impressed as well , though rarely . </P>
the act of forcing someone into military service
the act of forcing someone into military service
Impressment
Impressment