Key Takeaways: The XYZ Affair
- The XYZ Affair was a serious diplomatic dispute between France and the United States in 1797 and 1798 that led to the undeclared war between the nations known as the ...
- The name of the affair comes from the letters X, Y, and Z used by U.S. ...
- The dispute and Quasi-War were resolved by the Convention of 1800, also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine.
The Convention of 1800, signed on 30 September, ended the Quasi-War. It affirmed the rights of Americans as neutrals upon the sea and abrogated the alliance with France of 1778. However, it failed to provide compensation for the $20 million "French Spoliation Claims" of the United States.
What is the XYZ Affair and why was it significant?
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.
How did the United States react to the XYZ Affair?
XYZ Affair The US sent three diplomats to ask France to stop attacking American ships. While in France, the US diplomats were asked to pay a bribe to the French government. Reaction to the XYZ Affair Americans were very upset by the French demand for a bribe. Many people in the country wanted the US to declare war on France.
How did Congress react to the XYZ Affair?
What was the result of the struggle? The XYZ affair started the quasi war. Angered Adams persuaded congress to cut off all trade with France and authorized american vessels to capture french ships on the seas. France chose to conciliate the United States before the conflict grew any larger.
What was the cause and effect of 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 of $250,000 to Talleyrand, the French foreign minister, and a loan of $10,000,000 to France as a prelude to negotiations.
What impact did the XYZ Affair have?
The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic scandal between France and the United States that resulted in a limited, undeclared naval war with France known as the Quasi-War. The scandal also contributed to sectionalism and the concept of Nullification, which were direct causes of the American Civil War.
What was the purpose of 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.
Was the XYZ Affair a success or failure?
The failure of the commission caused a political firestorm in the United States when the commission's dispatches were published. It led to the undeclared Quasi-War (1798–1800).
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.
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 letters did Adams use to describe the XYZ affair?
On March 20, Adams turned them over, with the names of some of the French actors redacted and replaced by the letters W, X, Y, and Z. The use of these disguising letters led the business to immediately become known as the "XYZ Affair.". The release of the dispatches produced exactly the response Adams feared.
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 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, ...
Who sent the XYZ to France?
In response, President John Adams sent U.S diplomats Elbridge Gerry, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and John Marshall to France in July 1797 with orders to restore harmony. Far from brokering peace, the U.S. envoys soon found themselves embroiled in the XYZ Affair.
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.
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 ...
Who was the U.S. envoy to France during the Quasi-War?
Adams chose Charles C. Pinckney (who was already in Europe), Elbridge Gerry, and John Marshall as the U.S. envoys.
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 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, ...
Why did Washington sign the Jay Treaty?
neutrality. When Britain and the United States signed the Jay Treaty (1794) to maintain the peace between the two nations, France saw that treaty as deeply unfair.
What was the Federalist reaction to the XYZ affair?
Yet the Federalist reaction to the XYZ affair would eventually cause a backlash against them and contribute substantially to the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800. The adoption of the Jay Treaty by the Washington administration in 1795 angered the French, who viewed the new United States as siding with the English.
Who were the three French diplomats who were in Paris in 1797?
When the diplomats arrived in Paris in October 1797, the French foreign minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord granted the group only a short fifteen minute meeting and then left them with three French officials named Jean Hottenguer, Pierre Bellamy, and Lucien Hauteval.
What was the foreign policy of the United States during the French Revolution?
Between the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 and the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo in 1815, the foreign policy of the United States confronted the dilemma of possible or actual global warfare between the two most powerful European states. In addition, the conflict between the Federalists and their opponents in domestic ...
Who was the French minister who refused to accept the French?
While President, George Washington attempted to replace James Monroe (who was sympathetic to the French Revolution) as minister to France with Charles Pinckney, whom the French refused to accept.
Did Adams force a showdown over states rights?
In the end, Adams did not force a showdown over states rights and virtually no foreigners were deported. However, the damage had been done as the Federalist clampdown swung large segments of public opinion behind the Democratic-Republicans and Thomas Jefferson, leading to his election in 1800. Kevin Grimm, Ph.D.
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 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.
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 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.
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
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), Pierre Bellamy (Y), and Lucien Hauteval (Z) in doc…
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…
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…
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
- Ratified in 1795, Jay’s Treaty between the United States and Great Britain peacefully resolved issues lingering after the Treaty of Paris of 1783 had ended the American Revolutionary War. 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 jus...
The XYZ Negotiations: A Bad Time Was Had by All
- Even before they sailed for Paris, American diplomats Gerry, Pinckney, and Marshall were not optimistic. Like others in the Adams administration, they viewed the French government—the Directory—as a source of such extreme decadence and intrigue that it would stand in the way of accomplishing their mission. Sure enough, as soon as they arrived, the American trio was told th…
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 the contents, h…
The Convention of 1800
- By 1799, Napoleon had come to power in France and was focused on recovering the North American Louisiana territory from Spain. 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 figh…
Sources
- Stinchcombe, William (1980). “The XYZ Affair.” Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313222344.
- Berkin, Carol. “A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism.” New York: Basic Books, 2017.
- DeConde, Alexander. “The Quasi-War: The Politics and Diplomacy of the Undeclared War wit…
- Stinchcombe, William (1980). “The XYZ Affair.” Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313222344.
- Berkin, Carol. “A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism.” New York: Basic Books, 2017.
- DeConde, Alexander. “The Quasi-War: The Politics and Diplomacy of the Undeclared War with France, 1797-1801.” New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1966.
- Kuehl, John W. “Southern Reaction to the XYZ Affair: An Incident in the Emergence of American Nationalism.” Register of the Kentucky Historical Society70, no. 1 (1972)
