1Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 22 April 1798 (Adams Papers)
Observations on the Dispute Between the United States and France
2Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 8 June 1798 (Adams Papers)
“An act to suspend the commercial intercourse between the United States and France, and the dependencies thereof,” prohibiting American ships from French ports and French ships from U.S. ports, was passed by the Senate in an 18 to 4 vote on 7 June. Of the ten senators absent,...
3Abigail Adams to William Smith, 29 June 1798 (Adams Papers)
, and note 2, below. On 25 June the Senate passed a bill 14 to 5 declaring the treaties formerly concluded between the United States and France void. The House debated the bill on 6 July, and after reducing the Senate’s preamble to the bill, passed it 47 to 37. The bill became law on 7 July (
4Abigail Adams to William Smith, 15 April 1798 (Adams Papers)
Naval Documents Related to the Quasi-War between the United States and France
5“Mr. Hamilton’s Letter”, 1800 (Adams Papers)
William Vans Murray Esqr, our Minister Resident at the Hague, to be Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary to the French Republic, with full Powers to discuss and settle, but a Treaty, all Controversies between the United States and France.
6From John Adams to United States Congress, 8 December 1798 (Adams Papers)
The course of the transactions in relation to the United States and France which have come to my knowledge during your recess will be made the subject of a future communication. That communication will confirm the ultimate failure of the measures, which have been taken by the government of the United States...
7From John Adams to United States Senate, 11 February 1799 (Adams Papers)
The President of the United States did, on the ninth instant, approve and sign an Act, which originated in this House, intitled “An Act further to suspend the Commercial intercourse between the United States and France, and the dependencies thereof.”
8From John Adams to United States Congress, 5 February 1798 (Adams Papers)
Whenever the Channels of Diplomatical communication between the United States and France shall be opened, I shall demand satisfaction for the insult and reparation for the injury.
9From John Adams to Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, 22 June 1797 (Adams Papers)
...States and the French Republic, for the purpose of satisfying and terminating the same in a just and equitable manner; and also of and concerning the General Commerce between the United States and France and all other the Dominions of the French Republic; and to conclude and sign a treaty or treaties, Convention or Conventions touching the premises; transmitting the same to the...
10From John Adams to United States Senate, 25 February 1799 (Adams Papers)
To be Envoys Extraordinary—and Ministers Plenipotentiary to the French Republick with full Powers to discuss and settle, by a Treaty all Controversies between the United States and France.
11Questions About French Grounds for Dissatisfaction, 5 April 1797 (Adams Papers)
..., or the actual means of offensive operations against the East India colonies of France. May not these things appear the more serious and delicate, because an existing treaty between the United States and France contains a guaranty of the dominions of the United States undertaken with a particular eye to the very power Great Britain with whom the article was formed and which first broached...
12John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 7 October 1797 (Adams Papers)
Harper’s Observations upon the dispute between the United States and France are very valuable, and must I think prove very useful.Observations on the Dispute Between the United States and France … in May, 1797
13John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 25 November 1800 (Adams Papers)
...American shipowners against losses, but they relented on that demand when it became clear that it put the entire negotiation at risk. The convention as negotiated included limited language on the subject, with Art. 2 stating that the United States and France would revisit the issue “at a convenient time,” for which see
14John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 25 July 1798 (Adams Papers)
that the commissioners had “no prospect of success” in their mission. Gerry also offered the opinion that a war between the United States and France would lead to disaster for both sides (King to ...suspend all commercial intercourse between the United States and France was not taken up and said that the Anglo-American party would never succeed in sparking a war between the two countries....
15Thomas Boylston Adams to William Smith Shaw, 22 August 1800 (Adams Papers)
Tingey, which implied that the United States and France were in a state of war. The
16Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, 12 February 1798 (Adams Papers)
Naval Documents Related to the Quasi-War between the United States and France
17Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn, 23 October 1799 (Adams Papers)
...commissioners, Joseph Bonaparte; Pierre Louis, Comte de Roederer; and Charles Pierre Clarét, Comte de Fleurieu. Negotiations were slowed by contention over the Jay Treaty and the 7 July 1798 congressional act voiding all prior treaties between the United States and France, for which see vol.
18Thomas Boylston Adams to John Adams, 9 January 1801 (Adams Papers)
, Book II, ch. 17, sects. 283, 314. Art. 6 of the convention granted the United States and France most favored nation status, while Art. 25 of the Jay Treaty specified that neither the United States nor Great Britain would make treaties with other nations that would affect Anglo-American commercial relations. Although there was informal discussion...
19To Thomas Jefferson from Pierre Auguste Adet, 27 July 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
...she had engaged the United States into making towards us. The opinion which the Directory adopted was that of the friends of liberty, and of those who knew the real interests of the United States and France. But to bring about the triumph of that opinion they were required to struggle against the secret friends of England, who to back up the efforts of the partisans of discord which that...
20The Warning No. VI, [27 March 1797] (Hamilton Papers)
6th of February, 1778, between the United States and France, the former Power engaged to defend the American possessions in case of war, and that the Government and the commerce of the United States have strangely abused the forbearance of the republic of France, in turning to its...
21To Thomas Jefferson from Joel Barlow, 12 March 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
. Enclosure: Barlow to Abraham Baldwin, Paris, 4 Mch. 1798, a treatise on worsening relations between the United States and France, attributing the deterioration to American measures that included the appointment of Gouverneur Morris as minister to France, the Jay Treaty, the recall of James Monroe, and the sending to France of Pinckney (whose return there after the...
22Jeremy Belknap to Abigail Adams, 14 June 1798 (Adams Papers)
Observations on the Dispute between the United States and France
23To Thomas Jefferson from Tench Coxe, 21 June 1799 (Jefferson Papers)
: Coxe received news of the safe arrival of American vessels at Hamburg from Henry Kleinwort, a merchant of that city, who also noted that improving relations between the United States and France had caused insurance premiums to decline to 12 percent (Kleinwort to Coxe, 26 Apr. 1799, in
24Richard Cranch to Abigail Adams, 10 November 1800 (Adams Papers)
...April and September, culminating in the Convention of 1800. Negotiations were slowed by contention over the Jay Treaty and the 7 July 1798 act voiding all prior treaties between the United States and France. Officially dated 30 Sept. 1800 but signed on 1 and 3 Oct., the convention contained 27 articles that reaffirmed the “inviolable, and universal peace, and a true and sincere...
25To James Madison from John Dawson, 23 February 1800 (Madison Papers)
“An act further to suspend the commercial intercourse between the United States and France, and the dependencies thereof,” which extended the law then in force until 3 Mar. 1801, passed the House on 20 Feb. 1800 by a vote of 68 to 28 (
26Enclosure: Extract of a Letter to John Marshall, [16 October 1800] (Hamilton Papers)
6th. Nor is it conceived, that the treaties between the United States and France have undergone a more nullifying operation, than the condition of war necessarily imposes. Doubtless the congressional act, authorising the reduction of French cruisers by force,
27To John Adams from Willis Foreman, 29 November 1798 (Adams Papers)
We never believed that the cause of the threatned rupter between the United States and France had been produced by any injustice in the forener. It must alone have flowed from an Intoxicated attitude which conquest had given the latter. This no doubt had produced a belief that we was too insignificant to hesitate in...
28To Thomas Jefferson from Elijah Griffiths, 4 August 1799 (Jefferson Papers)
who had criticized the army’s conduct. In both letters Liston reported that the United States and France were close to formal war. In later correspondence with officials in London, Liston admitted that the letters exposed his friendly status with the Adams administration and tended to support the Republican contention that he was “employed” to produce... ...between the United States and France...
29From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 13 March 1799 (Hamilton Papers)
This is a reference to Section 3 of “An Act to suspend the commercial intercourse between the United States and France, and the dependencies thereof” (See also “An Act further to suspend the Commercial Intercourse between the United States and France, and the dependencies thereof” (
30Enclosure: [Notes on Conduct with Great Britain], [10 April 1797] (Hamilton Papers)
H is referring to the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and France signed at Paris on February 6, 1778 (This is a reference to the Treaty of Alliance between the United States and France signed at Paris on February 6, 1778 (