Treaty of Mortefontaine

Background. Under the 1778 Treaty of Alliance, the United States had agreed to defend French interests in the Caribbean in return for financial and military assistance during the American Revolutionary War. Because the treaty had no termination date, it theoretically obliged the U.S. to back the French First Republic against Britain in the War of the First Coalition. Congress instead favored neutrality, which let Northern shipowners profit by evading the British blockade while Southern planters feared France's 1794 abolition of colonial slavery.

Path to Negotiation. On July 7, 1798, Congress cancelled the 1778 treaties and authorized attacks on French warships in American waters, beginning the Quasi-War. President John Adams nonetheless sought a diplomatic solution, and in early 1799 a commission of William Vans Murray, Oliver Ellsworth, and William Richardson Davie was approved. Its goals were to terminate the 1778 treaties, confirm American neutrality, agree compensation for shipping losses, and end the conflict; the commissioners did not reach Paris until early 1800.

Terms and Ratification. The agreement was styled a convention rather than a treaty, a difference attributed to congressional sensitivity about entering treaties after disputes over the 1778 Alliance and Commerce agreements. It terminated the 1778 agreements, confirmed 'free trade, free goods' between the two countries, and ended the Quasi-War. It did not address compensation demanded by American shipowners for losses before and during the conflict, and arguments over Clause II delayed congressional ratification until December 21, 1801.

Consequences. Historians argue that ending the dispute with France ultimately facilitated the Louisiana Purchase, and that agreement on commercial terms mattered because the United States was not strong enough to enforce them alone. American neutrality also suited French plans for North America: under the secret Third Treaty of San Ildefonso of October 1800, Spain agreed to transfer Louisiana to France in return for territories in Italy.