The XYZ Affair: A Dispute Between France and the U.S.
- Background. In 1792, France went to war with Britain, Austria, and several other European monarchies. ...
- Jay's Treaty Had Angered France. ...
- The XYZ Negotiations: A Bad Time Was Had by All. ...
- President John Adams Reaction to the XYZ Affair. ...
- The Convention of 1800. ...
- Sources. ...
What caused the XYZ Affair?
The xyz affair was caused by French stealing American ships,and as a result America and France went to a undeclared war called the quasi-war.you see,the reason that they fought from 1798-1800 because it was consular problem between America and France that seemed that to resolved it by talking it over,and worst of all it wasn’t our fault.
What were the results of the XYZ Affair?
- The United States had to agree to provide France with a substantial low-interest loan.
- The United States had to agree to pay all claims of damages filed against France by owners of American merchant ships seized or sunk by the French Navy.
- The United States had to pay a bribe of 50,000 British pounds directly to Talleyrand, himself.
What was the impact of the XYZ Affair?
What were two impacts of the XYZ Affair? XYZ Affair (1797–1798), Citizen Genet, Significance. The XYZ Affair raised tensions between the United States and France and led to the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts and the Quasi-War.
What was the significance of the XYZ Affair?
XYZ Affair: Date
- November 19, 1794: The U.S. ...
- May 16, 1797: John Adams gave a speech calling for the United States to prepare for a potential war with France.
- October 14, 1797: American diplomats are bribed by the French government and send news back to the President.
What caused the XYZ Affair?
The main cause of the XYZ Affair was the signing of the Jay Treaty between the US and Great Britain. The treaty was meant to prevent a war between the two nations by not allowing the US to trade with “hostile nations,” such as France.
When did the XYZ Affair start?
1797 – 1798XYZ Affair / Period
Who initiated the XYZ Affair?
XYZ Affair, diplomatic incident that, when made public in 1798, nearly involved the United States and France in war. Pres. John Adams dispatched three ministers to France in 1797 to negotiate a commercial agreement to protect U.S. shipping.
What was the XYZ Affair and how did it get its name?
The XYZ Affair was an incident that began an undeclared quasi-war with France. The name derives from the substitution of the letters X, Y, and Z for the names of French diplomats Hottinguer (X), Bellamy (Y), and Hauteval (Z) in documents released by President John Adams.
What was the XYZ affair?
XYZ Affair, diplomatic incident that, when made public in 1798, nearly involved the United States and France in war. Pres. John Adams dispatched three ministers to France in 1797 to negotiate a commercial agreement to protect U.S. shipping. In Paris the ministers were approached by three French agents who suggested a bribe ...
How much did the French bribe the French Foreign Minister?
In Paris the ministers were approached by three French agents who suggested a bribe of $250,000 to Talleyrand, the French foreign minister, and a loan of $10,000,000 to France as a prelude to negotiations.
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Why did Talleyrand send a series of informal negotiators to meet with the commissioners?
Some of the informal avenues were closed down (Gerry, for instance, informed Hauteval that they could no longer meet, since Hauteval had no formal authority), and Talleyrand finally appeared in November 1797 at a dinner, primarily to castigate the Americans for their unwillingness to accede to the demand for a bribe .
Why did Talleyrand appear at the dinner?
Some of the informal avenues were closed down (Gerry, for instance, informed Hauteval that they could no longer meet, since Hauteval had no formal authority), and Talleyrand finally appeared in November 1797 at a dinner, primarily to castigate the Americans for their unwillingness to accede to the demand for a bribe.
Why was Talleyrand called to the Directory?
Talleyrand was called to the Directory to account for his role in the affair. He denied all association with the informal negotiators, and enlisted the assistance of Gerry in exposing the agents whose names had been redacted, a charade Gerry agreed to participate in.
Why was Pinckney refused as a minister?
minister because of the escalating crisis, and that American merchant ships had been seized in the Caribbean.
What is the origin of the name "Z"?
The name derives from the substitution of the letters X, Y, and Z for the names of French diplomats Jean-Conrad Hottinguer (X), Pierre Bellamy (Y), and Lucien Hauteval (Z) in documents released by the Adams administration. An American diplomatic commission was sent to France in July 1797 to negotiate a solution to problems ...
What was the XYZ affair?
The XYZ Affair was a political and diplomatic episode in 1797 and 1798, early in the presidency of John Adams, involving a confrontation between the United States and Republican France that led to the Quasi-War. The name derives from the substitution of the letters X, Y, and Z for the names of French diplomats Jean-Conrad Hottinguer (X), ...
What did Adams call for in his speech?
Adams, in introducing the matter to Congress, made a somewhat belligerent speech in which he called for a vigorous defense of the nation's neutrality and expansion of the United States Navy, but stopped short of calling for war against France.
What was the XYZ affair?
The XYZ Affair was a dispute between diplomats from France and the United States in 1797 and 1798, during the early days of the presidential administration of John Adams that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War. Peace was quickly restored when the U.S. and France agreed on the Convention of 1800, ...
How did the Quasi War get its name?
The name of the affair comes from the letters X, Y, and Z used by U.S. President John Adams to refer to the names of three of the French diplomats involved. The dispute and Quasi-War were resolved by the Convention of 1800, also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine.
What was the Quasi War?
The Quasi-War was to end. France agreed to return captured American ships. U.S. agreed to compensate its citizens for damages inflicted by France on American shipping (damages totaled $20 million; U.S. paid $3.9 million to heirs of original claimants in 1915). The Franco-American Alliance was terminated.
What was the significance of the Jay's Treaty?
The treaty also facilitated a decade of peaceful trade between the United States and Britain during the height of the bloody French Revolutionary Wars. Having just helped the U.S. defeat the British in its own revolution, France was deeply angered by Jay’s Treaty.
What was the effect of the Jay's Treaty?
The treaty also facilitated a decade of peaceful trade between the United States and Britain during the height ...
Why did Napoleon retain Talleyrand?
Talleyrand, retained by Napoleon as Foreign Minister, was trying to prevent further hostilities with the U.S. The British, still at war with France, were thrilled with the growing anti-French sentiment in the U.S. and offered to help the Americans fight their common foe.
Who is Robert Longley?
Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government. He has written for ThoughtCo since 1997. The XYZ Affair was a dispute between diplomats from France and the United States in 1797 and 1798, during the early days of the presidential administration of John Adams ...
Why did Adams release the letters?
Adams immediately agreed to make them available to Congress since he knew the dispatches would support his calls for a strong defense, and the American ministers were safely out of France. On April 3, he released the correspondence, using X, Y, Z in place of the names of the French agents.
What did Adams ask Congress to do in 1798?
On March 19, 1798, Adams asked Congress to arm American vessels, shore up coastal defenses, and manufacture arms. While Jefferson privately criticized Talleyrand’s actions, he believed that Adams and the Federalists were over-reacting to the dispatches and conveniently using the incident to encourage a war with France.
What did the Senate vote in favor of when the dispatches were read?
When the dispatches were read in Congress, even many Republicans were appalled by French actions. The Senate quickly voted in favor of publication of the dispatches, and they were soon printed in the newspapers.
What was the XYZ affair?
The XYZ Affair (1797-1798) involved an American peace delegation in France, three agents of the French Foreign Minister ( labeled as X, Y, and Z in President John Adams’ initial communications with Congress), and the French Foreign Minister’s demand for a bribe from the American delegation. The Affair played a major role in the adoption ...
What did the Republican press want from the dispatches?
The Republican press (including James Callender) also wanted full disclosure of the dispatches. On April 2, the House passed a resolution for Adams to publish the dispatches in their entirety.
What did the intermediaries tell the U.S. envoys?
The intermediaries told the U.S. envoys that certain conditions must be met in order for France officially to receive the American diplomats: first, the diplomats needed to apologize for anti-French sentiment in Adams’ May 16 speech to Congress.
What happened after the French Revolution?
After the French Revolution of 1789, Britain and France were in almost constant conflict until the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Unfortunately, the new American republic became embroiled in the French/British struggle with enormous implications for domestic politics in the United States. When France and Britain went to war in 1793, ...
XYZ Affair: Date
The XYZ Affair's date is 1797, when John Adams sent three diplomats to France in hopes of finding a peaceful remedy to the rise in tensions.
What Caused the XYZ Affair?
During this period, the United States signed the Jay Treaty in 1794, which gave favored nation status to Great Britain. This status meant that they took precedent over all other nations when exporting goods overseas.
What Happened in the XYZ Affair?
After giving a speech to Congress calling for war preparations, John Adams began to organize a diplomatic mission to France in which three Americans would attempt to negotiate with the French government.
What Was the Impact of the XYZ Affair?
The impact of the XYZ Affair was that much of the country supported John Adams and his calls for military preparedness. By 1798, relations between the two countries deteriorated so much that a 'half war' began.
What was the XY and Z affair?
The XY and Z Affair was a diplomatic incident that occurred when attempts by the French foreign minister to secure a loan to France — as well as a personal bribe in exchange for a meeting — were rejected by American diplomats and made public in the United States . This incident led to an undeclared war at sea between the two countries.
What letters did Adams use to replace the names of the French diplomats involved?
But knowing their contents, and the scandal they would surely cause, Adams chose to remove the names of the French diplomats involved and replaced them with the letters W, X, Y, and Z.
What wars were fought on the high seas?
federal government, originally friendly, became strained. In 1792, France and the rest of Europe went to war, a conflict in which President George Washington declared American neutrality.
What did the United States learn early in its infancy?
This was something the United States learned early in its infancy when its friendly relationship with France was rocked by the United States government’s public airing of the French government’s political dirty laundry.
What was the French Navy's role in the Pseudo-War?
Throughout 1798 and 1799, the French and the Americans fought a series of naval battles in the Caribbean, which, when strung together, are called the Pseudo-War with France.
Why was the Convention of 1800 called the Convention of Mortefontaine?
The difference in name was due to Congressional sensitivity at entering into treaties, due to disputes over the 1778 treaties of Alliance and Commerce between France and the US.
What were the relations between the United States and France?
But relations between the United States and France were deep, especially among “Jeffersonians” (the title of those who followed the political ideals put forth by Thomas Jefferson — limited government, an agricultural economy, and close relations with France, among other things).
What was the XYZ affair?
War of 1812. The XYZ Affair was an incident that began an undeclared quasi-war with France. The name derives from the substitution of the letters X, Y, and Z for the names of French diplomats Hottinguer (X), Bellamy (Y), and Hauteval (Z) in documents released by President John Adams.
Why was the XYZ affair so unpopular?
To support the standing Navy Congress created the Marine Corp. The XYZ affair also raised anti-French sentiment which caused the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. This was one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress.
What was the impact of the XYZ affair?
Impact of the XYZ Affair. After the American Revolution, the United States had sold off all their ships. They did not believe it was a function of the Federal Government to keep a standing Navy. After the Quasi-War with France, it seemed to be a necessity and they began a plan to build a Navy.
Why were the French loyal to Washington?
The French had many leaders in America loyal to them due to their support in the American Revolution, however, Washington did not budge on his position and insisted that the nation stays out of entangling European politics. During his second term in office the Jay Treaty which was ratified in Congress.
What was the purpose of the agreement between the two nations?
The agreement between the two nations implicitly ensured that the United States would remain neutral toward France in the wars of Napoleon and ended the “entangling” French alliance. This alliance had been viable only between 1778 and 1783.
What was Talleyrand's reaction to his demands?
The reaction to Talleyrand’s demands was a loss of public support for France. This aided the Federalist cause who favored England over France and harmed Jefferson’s Republicans who viewed the French Revolution as an extension of their own.
Which party supported the Jay Treaty?
The Federalists supported the Jay Treaty and Great Britain while the Democratic-Republicans wanted to support France’s Revolution. However, Adams held his ground and continued to build up the military.
Overview
Political reaction in France
When news reached France of the publication of the dispatches and the ensuing hostile reaction, the response was one of fury. Talleyrand was called to the Directory to account for his role in the affair. He denied all association with the informal negotiators, and enlisted the assistance of Gerry in exposing the agents whose names had been redacted, a charade Gerry agreed to participate in. In exchange Talleyrand confirmed privately to Gerry that the agents were in fact in his employ, a…
Background
In the wake of the 1789 French Revolution, relations between the new French Republic and U.S. federal government, originally friendly, became strained. In 1792, France and the rest of Europe went to war, a conflict in which President George Washington declared American neutrality. However, both France and Great Britain, the major naval powers in the war, seized ships of neutral powers (including those of the United States) that traded with their enemies. With the Jay Treaty, …
Commission to France
In late May 1797 Adams met with his cabinet to discuss the situation and to choose a special commission to France. Adams initially proposed that John Marshall and Elbridge Gerry join Pinckney on the commission, but his cabinet objected to the choice of Gerry because he was not a strong Federalist. Francis Dana was chosen instead of Gerry, but he declined to serve, and Adams, who c…
Reaction in the United States
While the American diplomats were in Europe, President Adams considered his options in the event of the commission's failure. His cabinet urged that the nation's military be strengthened, including the raising of a 20,000-man army and the acquisition or construction of ships of the line for the navy. He had no substantive word from the commissioners until March 1798, when the first dis…
See also
• Timeline of United States diplomatic history
Further reading
• Berkin, Carol. A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism (2017) pp. 151–200.
• Brown, Ralph (1975). The Presidency of John Adams. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press. ISBN 978-0700601349. OCLC 1218581.
• Kleber, Louis C. "The "X Y Z" Affair" History Today. (Oct 1973) , Vol. 23 Issue 10, pp 715–723 online; popular account.
External links
• Transcript of Adams speech on the release of the XYZ papers
• "The XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War with France, 1798–1800", U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
Background
Jay's Treaty Had Angered France
The XYZ Negotiations: A Bad Time Was Had by All
President John Adams Reaction to The XYZ Affair
- As he read the disheartening reports from Gerry, Pinckney, and Marshall, President Adams prepared for war with France. While pro-war Federalists urged Congress to support him, Democratic-Republican leaders distrusted his motives and demanded that he make the diplomatic correspondence from Paris public. Adams agreed, but knowing the sensitivity of t...
The Convention of 1800
Sources
Prelude
Aftermath
- On October 22 and November 8, Marshall wrote long dispatches to U.S. Secretary of State Timothy Pickering explaining the situation - dispatches which would play an important role in the coming political explosion. Informal talks continued throughout the winter of 1797-1798, but were fruitless. After repeated efforts to start negotiations without pa...
Background
Publication
Effects
Assessment