Impressment's political impact exceeded its numbers

Was impressment a major factor in American anger toward Britain?

It mattered politically, but the number of people directly affected was smaller than popular accounts often imply.

Impressment was a real grievance whose political effect could exceed the number of people directly affected. Shared language and similar accents made British and American seamen difficult to distinguish. Some British sailors claimed American identity after spending time in America and could later be encountered aboard British merchant ships. Those ambiguities complicated identification during boarding and allowed a comparatively small number of cases to become a cause of war.