Treaty of Mortefontaine

Were France and the United States ever at war with each other? If you responded either: "never", "sort of", or "yes", you were right either way!!! There was the "Quasi-War"!

In 1778, France signed a treaty of Amity, Alliance and Trade with the United States while they were still fighting for Indepandance against the United Kingdom. Then between 1792 to 1797, Revolutionary France was at war against the first European Coalition (inclusive of Great Britain).

In 1794, France argued the Jay treaty between the U.S. and the U.K. was incompatible with the 1778 treaties and started seizing U.S. ships trading with England. The U.S. then ceased payment on French loans dating back to the American Revolution.

From 1794 to 1799, tensions grew to a "quasi-war" between our two nations until the end of the French Revolution. When Napoleon rose to power in Nov. 1799, he and John Adams reached an agreement known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine signed on 30th September 1800.