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The problems with France that beset President Adams arose more from the wars spawned by the French Revolution. War erupted in 1792 when France attempted to export its revolutionary ideas and when several European monarchical nations allied against the French, hoping to eradicate the threat posed by the republican revolutionaries.
France, interpreting a treaty with Britain negotiated by John Jay as a newly formed alliance between the United States and an old enemy, retaliated by ordering the seizure of American ships carrying British goods. This plunged Adams into a foreign crisis that lasted for the duration of his administration. At first, Adams tried diplomacy by sending three commissioners to Paris to negotiate a settlement. However, Prime Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand of France insulted the American diplomats by first refusing to officially receive them. He then demanded a $250,000 personal bribe and a $10 million loan for his financially strapped country before he would begin peace negotiations. This episode, known as the XYZ affair, sparked a white-hot reaction within the United States.
Adams responded by asking Congress to appropriate funds for defensive measures. These included the augmentation of the Navy, improvement of coastal defenses, the creation of a provisional army, and authority for the President to summon up to 80,000 militiamen to active duty. Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts to curb dissent, created the Navy Department, organized the Marine Corps, and cancelled the treaties of alliance and commerce with France that had been negotiated during the War of Independence. Incidents, some bloody, soon took place on the high seas. Historians call this undeclared war the Quasi-War crisis. From the outset, President Adams sought a peaceful solution, if it could be had on honorable terms for the United States. He talked pugnaciously and urged a military buildup, but his goal was to demonstrate American resolve and, he hoped, bring France to the bargaining table. During the fall of 1798 and the winter of 1799, he received intelligence indicating a French willingness to talk. When Talleyrand sent unofficial word that American diplomats would be received by the French government, Adams announced his intention to send another diplomatic commission to France. By the time the commissioners reached Paris late in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte had become the head of the French government. After several weeks of negotiation, the American envoys and Napoleon signed the Treaty of Mortefontaine, which released the United States from its Revolutionary War alliance with France and brought an end to the Quasi-War.
John Adams decided to go to war with france wich caused the french revolution and the killing of the king and queen.
What else can I help you with?
What did the French request in response to President Adams' efforts to reach an understanding regarding the capture of American ships?
That the U.S. pay money before talks could begin.
What country seized American ships for England when Adams was president?
France
Do squid attacks humans?
It attacks ships & whales but i don't think it attacks humans!
What did John Adams do to create the congress?
He helped write the constitution....... (-:
Was there a war when john Adams served as president?
maybe but the french got mad because American didn't help so they seize ships.
Why did German U- Boats attack neutral ships?
Some attacks were mistaken identity. Some attacks were because the ships were sailing in an Allied Convoy. Some attacks were because the ships were armed and Germany considered them as auxiliary warships. Some attacks were because the British were beleived to be flying neutral flags on their ships to trick the U-Boats. Some attacks were because the neutral was in Allied waters and the U-Boat Captain felt the ship was trading with the allies.
What did john Adams do to protect American ships?
Adams rebuilt the Navy by adding 6 new ships to its fleet in order to provide protection from French ships who were attacking American ships because of the U.S.-Great Britain trade. The United States Navy Department was formed under John Adams Presidency.
What did John Adams do during the war?
well, John Adams, Protected the ships, and he was the 2nd presient
What did the allies do to protect their ships from you boat attacks?
they threw you overboard.
Who attacks and robs ships?
The general term is a pirate.
Which president got the gulf of Tonkin resolution passed?
The gulf of tonkin resolution was passed by President Johnson, in 1964, in responce to the attacks launched by the north vietnamese, against the American ships in the gulf of tonkin.
What are grapple attacks?
Throw ropes with hooks attached to ships or even castles to scale the walls or sides of the ships.
