The Quasi-War and Convention of 1800

The alliance of 1778 had joined France and the United States against Britain, but the French Revolution and renewed European warfare changed the setting in which that agreement operated. American leaders sought to protect their commerce without joining the fighting. Their treaty with Britain in 1794 made that effort look to French officials like a retreat from the older partnership, while France's need to finance its wars increased the pressure on neutral shipping. [1] [2]

French ships were seizing American merchant vessels, and the envoys sent to Paris to stop the seizures met demands for payments before negotiations could begin. Their correspondence caused an uproar when it reached the American public, with the three intermediaries identified under the letters X, Y, and Z. [2]

The dispute grew out of France’s European wars and its anger at the American treaty with Britain, which French leaders regarded as a threat to their interests. In 1798, American and French ships began fighting, chiefly in the Caribbean, where American warships escorted merchant traffic and attacked French vessels. Neither country declared war. [2]

Congress answered the crisis at home with the Alien and Sedition Acts, restricting immigrants and making certain attacks on the government criminal offenses. Opposition newspaper editors faced prosecution. [3]

President John Adams renewed negotiations with France despite the hostility. The Convention of 1800 ended the conflict and the alliance that had helped the United States win independence. [2]

Ending the fighting required the negotiators to disentangle the old alliance from claims for seized cargoes. Those compensation demands complicated American ratification even after the Convention was signed. [2]

Related Diplomats

1. Louis-André Pichon [4]

Related Reading

• France and the United States