President Adams The Quasi War

War Hawks I
Those who in 2003 extolled the two centuries of friendship between France and the United States evidently forgot that the two once nearly went to war. The year was 1798 and the President John Adams. Although France had famously helped during the revolution, in 1794 three events occurred to threaten the friendship. First, the citizens of France toppled their monarchy and came into conflict with Great Britain, and third, the United States reached agreement with Britain – the Jay Treaty – to stop British attacks on American shipping. When in 1798 the United States and President Adams – no friend to this revolution – refused to continue repaying its debt, the French were outraged and commissioned privateers to attack American shipping, beginning what is now known as the Quasi-War with France.

Diplomatic outrages followed. France refused to receive Charles C. Pinckney, the new ambassador and later agreed to receive Pinckney and envoys John Marshall and Elbridge Gerry only if healthy bribes were paid. Now it was the turn of Americans to be outraged, especially as Secretary of State Timothy Pickering reported that in eleven months France had seized 361 American ships.

Alexander Hamilton and many others were all for going to war with France and a kind of war fever ran through the nation, particularly in the north. Pickering and the Attorney General both urged war. Little trusting would-be army commander Hamilton, President Adams made a case for building up a strong navy, created a Navy Department and went from everyone's favorite scapegoat to virtual national hero status. In further developments, Congress authorized attacks on French warships and passed the xenophobic Alien and Sedition Acts that restricted the movements of foreigners and speech critical of the government. It appeared a full war was imminent.

But President Adams held off the War Hawks. Through American diplomats in the Netherlands, he continued to pursue peace and in 1799 this bore fruit as new envoys were received and eventually the result was the Treaty of Mortefontaine, which ended hostilities. But Adams' popularity was never again what it had been; partly this was due to the draconian Sedition Act, but had he managed to have a decent showing in a war, he probably would have been re-elected in 1800, Sedition Act or no; instead he saved many American lives and became the first one-term president.

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