Quasi-War

The Quasi-War was an undeclared naval conflict between the United States and France, fought mainly in the Caribbean and ended by the Convention of 1800.

XYZ Affair: A diplomatic crisis in which French agents demanded payments from American envoys in 1797–1798. The affair helped turn tensions with France into open naval hostilities.
French Revolutionary Wars: A series of European conflicts beginning in 1792 after revolutionary France fought neighboring powers. The wider war placed American neutrality and trade under pressure.
John Adams: The second president of the United States, serving from 1797 to 1801. Adams resisted calls for a full war while strengthening American naval defenses.
United States Marine Corps: The maritime military service of the United States, founded in 1775 and reestablished in 1798. Its renewed organization accompanied the naval buildup for conflict with France.
United States Navy: The maritime military service of the United States, established in 1798 in its modern form. Its new warships fought French privateers and naval vessels.
Treaty of Alliance (1778): An agreement in which France allied with the United States during the American Revolutionary War. France claimed the United States had violated this alliance by drawing closer to Britain.
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: An American diplomat and Federalist who served as minister to France during the XYZ Affair. His failed mission to France precipitated the diplomatic crisis preceding hostilities.
United States Army: The land warfare service of the United States Armed Forces, established in 1775. Congress expanded the army amid fears that naval hostilities could lead to invasion.
Privateer: A privately owned vessel authorized by a government to attack enemy shipping during wartime. French privateers were a principal threat to American merchant vessels.
Jay Treaty: A 1794 agreement that settled several disputes between the United States and Great Britain. Its perceived tilt toward Britain angered France and worsened relations with the United States.

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USS ConstitutionRelated: Constitution entered active service during this early test of the U.S. Navy.