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 was the result of the XYZ Affair?
What was the result of the XYZ Affair? The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War. U.S. and French negotiators restored peace with the Convention of 1800, also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine. What effect did the XYZ ]
Where did the Diamond Necklace Affair take place?
The Affair of the Diamond Necklace (Script error: No such module "lang"., "Affair of the Queen's Necklace") was an incident from 1784 to 1785 at the court of King Louis XVI of France that involved his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette.
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.
Why did the XYZ Affair take place?
The French demanded that the United States provide France with a low-interest loan, assume and pay American merchant claims against the French, and lastly pay a substantial bribe to Talleyrand. The U.S. envoys were shocked, and also skeptical that any concessions would bring about substantial changes in French policy.
When did the XYZ Affair happen?
1797 – 1798XYZ Affair / Period
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.
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, ...
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 ...
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.
Why was Lyon indicted?
He was indicted in 1800 for an essay he had written in the Vermont Journal accusing the administration of “ridiculous pomp, foolish adulation, and selfish avarice.”. While awaiting trial, Lyon commenced publication of Lyon’s Republican Magazine, subtitled “The Scourge of Aristocracy”.
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 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).
Why did Poor W get left out of the headline?
Poor W got left out of the headline, probably because the “WXYZ Affair” is a mouthful. Too bad for him.
When did the French attack the American merchant ships?
It all started in 1797, when French ships began attacking American merchant ships on the open seas. John Adams, who had recently been elected president (and who was also the first person not named “George Washington” to hold office), could not tolerate this.
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.
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
Prelude
- At the same time, Adams decided to send a delegation to France in an effort to maintain the peace. Adams chose Charles C. Pinckney (who was already in Europe), Elbridge Gerry, and John Marshall as the U.S. envoys. Their instructions were to seek to maintain neutrality and commercial relations while not committing the United States to financial support of France.
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 paying a bribe or providing a loan, o…
Background
- Across the Atlantic, Thomas Jefferson, Adams vice-president, believed that the U.S. had dealt unfairly with France. As a result, Jefferson and his allies did not support Adams actions, particularly preparations for a possible war with France. Jefferson was also skeptical of the peace mission, writing that \"The nomination of the envoys to France do...
Publication
- Some Republican members of Congress believed that the full dispatches would show that France was ready to negotiate. 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. Adams immediately agreed to make them available to Congress sin…
Effects
- This disclosure inflamed public opinion against France, and John Adams' popularity rose. Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute became a popular Federalist slogan, and the Federalists increased their majority in the House of Representatives in the 1798 elections, directly contributing to the adoption of the Alien & Sedition Acts (and the Jeffersonian response with th…
Assessment
- As for Jefferson, while he wrote to Madison that the actions of the French \"were very unworthy of a great nation...,\" he insisted that \"these papers [the dispatches] do not offer one motive the more for our going to war....\"4 Jefferson was not sure if the French Directory knew of Talleyrand's plot and never liked how the XYZ affair was used for political gain. As late as 1799 he wrote a fri…
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
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 offer...
Sources