Page 200 - American Stories, A History of the United States

goods,” meaning that belligerents should not interfere with the shipping of neutral carriers.
To make matters worse, no one was certain whether the Franco-American treaties of 1778 7.1
(see Chapter 5) legally bound the United States to support its old ally against Britain.
Both Hamilton and Jefferson wanted to avoid war. The secretary of state, however,
believed that nations desiring American goods should be forced to honor American Quick Check 7.2
neutrality. If Britain treated the United States as a colonial possession, if the Royal Why could America’s political
Navy stopped American ships on the high seas and forced seamen to serve the king—in leaders not ignore the french
other words, if it impressed American sailors—then the United States should award Revolution? 7.3
France special commercial advantages. Hamilton thought Jefferson’s scheme insane.
He pointed out that Britain had the largest navy in the world and was not likely to be
coerced by American threats. The United States, he counseled, should appease the for- 7.4
mer mother country even if that meant swallowing national pride.

Jay’s Treaty Sparks Domestic Unrest 7.5

Britain’s refusal to abandon its forts in the Northwest Territory remained a source of
tension. In June 1793, a new element was added. The London government blockaded
French ports to neutral shipping. In November, the Royal Navy captured hundreds of
American vessels trading in the French West Indies. The British had not even given the
United States advance warning of a change in policy. Outraged members of Congress,
especially those who identified with Jefferson and Madison, demanded retaliation: an
embargo, stopping debt payment, even war.
Before this rhetoric produced armed struggle, Washington made an effort to
preserve peace. In May 1794, he sent Chief Justice John Jay to London to negotiate a

Read the Document The Jay Treaty (1794)

John JAy John Jay (1745–1829) was
a successful lawyer and politician from
New York. He served in the continental
congress during the Revolution,
co-authored The Federalist Papers with
James Madison and Alexander Hamilton,
and later became the first chief Justice of
the U.S. Supreme court.
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