Diplomacy in the American Revolutionary War Diplomacy in the Revolutionary War had an important impact on the Revolution , as the United States evolved an independent foreign policy . Colonial diplomacy . Before the Revolutionary war , extra - colonial relations were handled in London . The colonies had agents in the United Kingdom , and established inter - colonial conferences . The colonies were subject to European peace settlements , settlements with Indian tribes , and inter - colony ( between colonies ) agreements . Starting in 1772 , several colonies formed Committees of Correspondence . Parliament enacted the Tea Act , in 1773 , and after the Boston Tea Party , the Boston Port Act , Massachusetts Government Act , ( or Intolerable Acts ) , in 1774 . On November 27 , 1775 , the Continental Congress established a Committee of Correspondence , which in 1781 , became the Department of Foreign Affairs . Conciliatory Resolution . Lord North took the uncharacteristic role of conciliator for the drafting of a resolution which was passed on February 20 , 1775 . It was an attempt to reach a peaceful settlement with the Thirteen Colonies immediately prior to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War ; it declared that any colony that contributed to the common defense and provided support for the civil government , and the administration of justice ( i . e . against any anti - Crown rebellion ) would be relieved of paying taxes or duties except those necessary for the regulation of commerce ; it was addressed and sent to the individual colonies , and intentionally ignored the extralegal Continental Congress . Lord North hoped to divide the colonists amongst themselves , and thus weaken any revolution / independence movements ( especially those represented by the Continental Congress ) . The resolution proved to be " too little , too late " , and the American Revolutionary War began at Lexington , on April 19 , 1775 . The Continental Congress released a report , ( written by Benjamin Franklin , Thomas Jefferson , John Adams , and Richard Henry Lee ) , dated July 31 , 1775 , rejecting it . Olive Branch Petition . When the Second Continental Congress convened in May 1775 , most delegates followed John Dickinson in his quest to reconcile with George III of Great Britain . However , a smaller group of delegates led by John Adams believed that war was inevitable , but remained quiet . This decision allowed John Dickinson , and his followers to pursue whatever means of reconciliation they wanted : the Olive Branch Petition was approved . It was first drafted by Thomas Jefferson , but John Dickinson found Jefferson ' s language too offensive , and he rewrote most of the document , although some of the conclusions remained Jefferson ’ s . The letter was approved on 5 July , but signed and sent to London , on 8 July 1775 . Letters to the inhabitants of Canada . In 1774 , the British Parliament enacted the Quebec Act , along with other legislation that was labeled by American colonists as the Intolerable Acts . This measure guaranteed ( among other things ) the rights of French Canadians to practice Roman Catholicism . The Letters to the inhabitants of Canada were three letters written by the First and Second Continental Congresses in 1774 , 1775 , and 1776 to communicate directly with the population of the Province of Quebec , formerly the French province of Canada , which had no representative system at the time . Their purpose was to draw the large French - speaking population to the American revolutionary cause . This goal ultimately failed , and Quebec , along with the other northern provinces of British America remained in British hands . The only significant assistance that was gained was the recruitment of two regiments totalling not more than 1 , 000 men . Envoys to France . In December 1775 , Vergennes sent Julien Alexandre Achard de Bonvouloir , a secret messenger to sound out the Continental Congress . He met with the Committee of Secret Correspondence . Early in 1776 , Silas Deane was sent to France , by Congress in a semi - official capacity , to induce the French government to lend its financial aid to the colonies . On arriving in Paris , Deane at once opened negotiations with Vergennes , and Beaumarchais , securing through Roderigue Hortalez and Company , the shipment of much arms and munitions to America . He also enlisted the services of a number of Continental soldiers of fortune , among whom were Lafayette , Baron Johann de Kalb , Thomas Conway , Casimir Pulaski , and Baron von Steuben . His carelessness in keeping account of his receipts and expenditures , eventually led to his recall on November 21 , 1777 . Arthur Lee , was appointed correspondent of Congress in London in 1775 . He was dispatched as an envoy to Spain and Prussia to gain their support for the rebel cause . He was appointed co - commissioner to France , along with Deane and Franklin . In December 1776 , Benjamin Franklin was dispatched to France as commissioner for the United States . He lived in a home in the Parisian suburb of Passy , donated by Jacques - Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont , who supported the United States . Franklin remained in France until 1785 . Staten Island Peace Conference . The Staten Island Peace Conference was a brief and unsuccessful meeting designed to bring an end to the American Revolution . The conference took place on September 11 , 1776 , on Staten Island , New York . In early September 1776 , after the British victory at the Battle of Long Island , Admiral Lord Howe , having been appointed Acting Peace Commissioner by King George III , met with John Adams , Benjamin Franklin and Edward Rutledge – to hold discussions . Lord Howe initially sought to meet with the men as private citizens ( he knew Franklin prior to the war ) , but he agreed to the Americans ' demand that he recognize them as the official representatives of the Congress . The Americans insisted that any negotiations required British recognition of their independence . Lord Howe stated he did not have the authority to meet that demand . The British resumed the campaign at the Landing at Kip ' s Bay . The Commission was mandated by the Crown to offer the rebel Americans pardons ( with some exceptions ) , to allow judges to serve on condition of good behaviour , and to promise to discuss colonial grievances ( except the Quebec Act ) in exchange for a cease - fire , the dissolution of the Continental Congress , the re - establishment of the legitimate ( traditional ) colonial assemblies , the acceptance of Lord North ' s Conciliatory Proposal and compensation for the Loyalists adversely affected by the war . Treaty of Fort Pitt . The Treaty of Fort Pitt , also known as the Treaty with the Delawares ( " Lenape " ) or the Fourth Treaty of Pittsburgh , was signed on 17 September 1778 and was the first written treaty between the new United States of America and any American Indians — the Lenape in this case . Although many informal treaties were held with Native Americans during the American Revolution years of 1775 – 1783 , this was the only one that resulted in a formal document . It was signed at Fort Pitt , Pennsylvania , site of present - day downtown Pittsburgh . It was essentially a formal treaty of alliance . It was largely unsuccessful as the majority of Indian tribes sided with the British . Treaty of Alliance with France . The Franco - American Alliance ( also called the Treaty of Alliance ) was a pact between France and the Second Continental Congress , representing the United States government , ratified in May 1778 . Benjamin Franklin , with his charm offensive , was negotiating with comte de Vergennes , for increasing French support , beyond the covert loans and French volunteers . With the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga , the French formalized the alliance against their British enemy ; Conrad Alexandre Gérard de Rayneval conducted the negotiations with the American representatives , Benjamin Franklin , Silas Deane , and Arthur Lee . Signed on February 6 , 1778 , it was a defensive alliance where the two parties agreed to aid each other in the event of British attack . Further , neither country would make a separate peace with London , until the independence of the Thirteen Colonies was recognized . The French strategy was ambitious , and even a large - scale invasion of Britain was contemplated . France believed they could comprehensively defeat the British within two years , reversing the massive losses of the Seven Years ' War . In March 1778 , Gérard de Rayneval sailed to America with d ' Estaing ' s fleet ; he received his first audience of Congress on August 6 , 1778 , as the first accredited Minister from France to the United States . Carlisle Peace Commission . In 1778 , after the British defeat at Saratoga ( concluded Oct . 17 , 1777 ) , and fearful of French recognition of American independence , Prime Minister Lord North had repealed ( February 1778 ) the Tea Act and the Massachusetts Government Act . A commission was sent to negotiate a settlement with the Americans , organized by William Eden , with George Johnstone , and headed by Frederick Howard , 5th Earl of Carlisle . However , they left only after news of the Treaty of Alliance had reached London . Arriving in Philadelphia , the Commission sent a package of proposals to Congress . Amongst the terms of the Commission , it was written that , " The acts of parliament which we transmit to you , having passed with singular unanimity , will sufficiently evince the disposition of Great Britain , and shew that the terms of agreement , in contemplation with his majesty and with his parliament , are such as come up to every wish that North America , either in the hour of temperate deliberation , or of the utmost apprehension of danger to liberty , has expressed . . . To consent to a cessation of hostilities , both by sea and land . To restore free intercourse , to revive mutual affection , and restore the common benefits of naturalisation through the several parts of this empire . To extend every freedom to trade that our respective interests can require . To agree that no military force shall be kept up in the different states of North America , without the consent of the general congress , or particular assemblies . To concur in measures calculated to discharge the debts of America , and raise the value and credit of the paper circulation . To perpetuate our union , by a reciprocal deputation of an agent or agents from the different states , who shall have the privilege of a seat and voice in the parliament of Great Britain ; or , if sent from Britain , to have in that case a seat and voice in the assemblies of the different states to which they may be deputed respectively , in order to attend to the several interests of those by whom they are deputed . In short , to establish the power of the respective legislatures in each particular state , to settle its revenue , its civil and military establishment , and to exercise a perfect freedom of legislation and internal government , so that the British states throughout North America , acting with us in peace and war , under our common sovereign , may have the irrevocable enjoyment of every privilege that is short of a total separation of interest , or consistent with that union of force , on which the safety of our common religion and liberty depends . " However , the British army left Philadelphia for New York , stiffening the resolve of Congress to insist upon recognition of Independence , which power was not given to the Commission . Johnstone tried to bribe some Congressmen , and Lafayette challenged Carlisle to a duel after some anti - French comments . On November 27 , 1778 , they returned to Britain . The Clinton - Arbuthnot Peace Declaration . In December 1780 the Commanders - in - Chief of the Royal forces in North America , Sir Henry Clinton and Vice - Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot , were appointed as the Crown ’ s commissioners " for restoring Peace to the Colonies and Plantations in North America , and for granting Pardon to such of his Majesty ’ s Subjects now in Rebellion as shall deserve the Royal Mercy " . Having been signed and sealed on the 29th of December by the commissioners , the declaration was published in New York , followed by further publications in Massachusetts and Georgia early in 1781 . The terms of the commission were stated as , GREAT BRITAIN having manifested the sincerity of her affectionate and conciliatory intentions , in removing forever your pretended grounds of discontent , by repealing , among other statutes , those relating to the duty on tea , and the alterations in the government of Massachusets Bay , and by exempting forever not only the continental , but the insular colonies , from parliamentary taxations , it is with much pleasure we make known to you , that we have received a commission , under the great seal of Great Britain , which has for its objects the removal of distrusts by the remission of offences — the restoration of the benefits of an extensive commerce — the enabling the constitutional officers of government to reassume their functions , ( that you may again enjoy your former local legislatures ) — and the confirmation of your rights , liberties , and privileges . . . we do hereby further declare to the inhabitants of Pennsylvania , the Three Lower Counties on Delaware , New Jersey , that part of New York still in revolt , Connecticut , and Rhode Island , separately as provinces , or to any association of men therein , who shall , on or before the first day of July next ensuing , declare their abhorrence of the rebellion , separate from its councils , and afterwards demean themselves as dutiful and peaceable subjects of his Majesty ’ s government , that we shall be ready to grant them pardon for all past treasons , and the full benefits of the King ’ s clemency as before recited . We do also make the same offers of pardon and benefits to the inhabitants of the other more southern and eastern colonies in rebellion , or to any association of men therein , who shall , on or before the first day of August next ensuing , declare and act in the manner aforementioned , and afterwards persevere in the like dutiful and loyal behaviour . The Patriot leaders were invited to depute ' proper persons ' to parley with Clinton , Arbuthnot , a Royal official so named , or any General Officer commanding the King ’ s troops by the deadline of July 1781 in order to discuss , all such propositions respecting the state of the said provinces , modes or forms of government ; or touching the laws by which they are affected ; and respecting such arrangements and regulations as may tend to the advantages and stability of the several colonies and provinces ; and to a lasting union with each of them with Great Britain , upon the principles of the constitution , which his Majesty ’ s subjects shall be desirous to confer upon , or lay , through us , before the King for his royal consideration , and that of his Parliament . The Declaration met with failure as the Patriots were intent on complete independence . Relations with Spain . Spain was not an ally of the United States , ( although an informal alliance had existed since at least 1776 between the Americans and Bernardo de Gálvez , Spanish governor of Louisiana , one of the most successful leaders in the entire war ) . In 1777 , a new Prime Minister , José Moñino y Redondo , Count of Floridablanca had come to power , and had a reformist agenda that drew on many of the English liberal traditions . The French relied upon the Bourbon Family Compact , an alliance that had been in place since the Bourbons had become Spain ' s ruling dynasty in 1713 . The Treaty of Aranjuez was signed on 12 April 1779 ; France agreed to aid in the capture of Gibraltar , Florida , and the island of Minorca . On 21 June 1779 , Spain declared war on England . Spain ' s economy depended almost entirely on its colonial empire in the Americas , and they were worried about the United States ' territorial expansion . With such considerations in mind , Spain persistently rebuffed John Jay ' s attempts to establish diplomatic relations . They were the last participant of the American Revolutionary War to acknowledge the independence of the United States , on 3 February 1783 . Ragusa . Ragusa ( present - day Dubrovnik , Croatia ) , a major city with historical and cultural ties to Italy on the Adriatic Sea , was interested in the economic potential of the United States learned by its diplomatic representative in Paris , Francesco Favi . He was in touch with Ferdinand III , Grand Duke of Tuscany at the request of the scholar Giovanni Fabbroni . The United States were anxious to conclude trade agreements with foreign powers during this period of the revolution . The American diplomat Arthur Lee learned that Italian merchants wanted to trade with the Americans but worried about the risk of corsairs or privateers . Since 1771 , hides were delivered from Baltimore , New York City and Philadelphia to Marseille in France by ships from Ragusa . Ragusa entered into a trade agreement with the United States , and the Americans agreed to allow their ships free passage in their ports . League of Armed Neutrality . The First League of Armed Neutrality was an alliance of minor European naval powers between 1780 and 1783 which was intended to protect neutral shipping against the British Royal Navy ' s wartime policy of unlimited search of neutral shipping for French contraband . Empress Catherine II of Russia began the first League with her declaration of Russian armed neutrality on 11 March ( 28 February , Old Style ) , 1780 , during the War of American Independence . She endorsed the right of neutral countries to trade by sea with nationals of belligerent countries without hindrance , except in weapons and military supplies . Russia would not recognize blockade s of whole coasts , but only of individual ports , and only if a belligerent ' s warship were actually present or nearby . The Russian navy dispatched three squadron s to the Mediterranean , Atlantic , and North Sea to enforce this decree . Denmark and Sweden , accepting Russia ' s proposals for an alliance of neutrals , adopted the same policy towards shipping , and the three countries signed the agreement forming the League . They remained otherwise out of the war , but threatened joint retaliation for every ship of theirs searched by a belligerent . When the Treaty of Paris ended the war in 1783 , Prussia , the Holy Roman Empire , the Netherlands , Portugal , the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Ottoman Empire had all become members . As the British Navy outnumbered all their fleets combined , the alliance as a military measure was what Catherine later called it , an " armed nullity " . Diplomatically , however , it carried greater weight ; France and the United States of America were quick to proclaim their adherence to the new principle of free neutral commerce . Britain — which did not — still had no wish to antagonize Russia , and avoided interfering with the allies ' shipping . While both sides of the Fourth Anglo - Dutch War tacitly understood it as an attempt to keep the Netherlands out of the League , Britain did not officially regard the alliance as hostile . It was followed in the Napoleonic Wars by the Second League of Armed Neutrality which was massively less successful and ended after the British victory at the Battle of Copenhagen . The Dutch Republic recognizes the United States . In 1776 , the United Provinces were the first country to salute the Flag of the United States , leading to growing British suspicions of the Dutch . In 1778 the Dutch refused to be bullied into taking Britain ' s side in the war against France . The Dutch were major suppliers of the Americans : in 13 months from 1778 – 1779 , for example , 3 , 182 ships cleared the island of Sint Eustatius , in the West Indies . When the British started to search all Dutch shipping for weapons for the rebels , the Republic officially adopted a policy of armed neutrality . Britain declared war in December 1780 , before the Dutch could join the League of Armed Neutrality . This resulted in the Fourth Anglo - Dutch War , which diverted British resources , but ultimately confirmed the decline of the Dutch Republic . In 1782 John Adams negotiated loans of $ 2 million for war supplies , by Dutch bankers . On March 28 , 1782 , after a petition campaign on behalf of the American cause organised by Adams and the Dutch patriot politician Joan van der Capellen , the United Netherlands recognized American independence , and subsequently signed a treaty of commerce and friendship . Morocco . Sultan Mohammed III of Morocco declared on 20 December 1777 that American merchant ships would be under the protection of the Sultan of Morocco and could thus enjoy safe passage . The Moroccan - American Treaty of Friendship in 1786 became the oldest non - broken U . S . friendship treaty . Austria . Austria attempted to act as a mediator between France and Great Britain during the American Revolution , although it was Austria ' s revenge against France . John Adams traveled to Vienna in 1781 to lobby for American independence . Russia . Russia attempted to act as a mediator between France and Great Britain during the American Revolution . The Russian Navy captured two British cargo vessels in 1780 ; their cargo were hemp and iron . Peace of Paris . The Peace of Paris was the set of treaties which ended the American Revolutionary War . In June 1781 , the Congress appointed Peace commissioners to negotiate with the British . On 30 November 1782 , preliminary Articles of Peace are signed by Richard Oswald , with representatives of the United States of America . The path to negotiation . News of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown reached Britain late in November 1781 , shortly before Parliament was due to debate the military spending estimates for the following year . The hastily - revised plan was to retain forces in America at their existing level , but to abandon the policy of " offensive " war , in favour of a new approach , of defense against French and Spanish attacks in the Caribbean , and Gibraltar . The negotiation process . Therefore , the decision was made to build on the " no offensive war " policy , and begin peace talks with the Americans . First , the stated aim of the 1778 Treaty of Alliance between the United States and France was specifically to maintain the independence of the United States . Second , for well over a year , informal discussions had been held with Henry Laurens , an American envoy captured on his way to Amsterdam and imprisoned in a small two - room suite at the Tower of London . The British negotiator sent to Paris was Richard Oswald , an old slave - trading partner of Henry Laurens , who had been one of his visitors in the Tower of London . His first talks with Franklin led to a proposal that Britain should hand over Canada to the Americans . British government changes again . On 1 July Lord Rockingham , the figurehead leader of the government , died , so Lord Shelburne was forced to take over , which led to the resignation of Fox , and a massive split in the anti - war Whig party in Parliament . Regardless of this , the remainder of the negotiations would be carried out under Shelburne ' s devious leadership . For example , he took advantage of the great delay in trans - Atlantic communication to send a letter to George Washington stating that Britain was accepting American independence without preconditions , while not authorising Richard Oswald to make any such promise when he returned to Paris to negotiate with Franklin and his colleagues ( John Jay had by this time returned from Spain ) . Diplomatic manoeuvres . Franklin became ill with gout towards the end of summer , but when John Jay learned in September of the secret French mission to England , by Joseph Matthias Gérard de Rayneval , and the French position on the fisheries , he sent a message to Shelburne himself , explaining in some detail why he should avoid being influenced too much by the French and Spanish . At the same time Richard Oswald was asking if the terms of his commission to negotiate with the Americans could be slightly reworded to acknowledge that the 13 so - called colonies referred to themselves as " United States " , and about 24 September , the Americans received word that this had been done . Britain ' s response to the deal . The terms of the peace , particularly the proposed treaty with the United States , caused a political storm in Britain . The concession of the Northwest Territory and the Newfoundland fisheries , and especially the apparent abandonment of Loyalists by an Article which the individual States would inevitably ignore , were condemned in Parliament . The last point was the easiest solved — - British tax revenue saved by not continuing the war would be used to compensate Loyalists . Nevertheless , on 17 February 1783 and again on 21 February , motions against the treaty were successful in Parliament , so on 24 February Lord Shelburne resigned , and for five weeks the British government was without a leader . Finally , a solution similar to the previous year ' s choice of Lord Rockingham was found . The government was to be led , nominally , by the Duke of Portland , while the two Secretaries of State were to be Charles Fox and , remarkably , Lord North . Richard Oswald was replaced by a new negotiator , David Hartley , but the Americans refused to allow any modifications to the treaty — partly because they would have to be approved by Congress , which with two Atlantic crossings , would take several months . Therefore , on 3 September 1783 , at Hartley ' s hotel in Paris , the treaty as agreed to , by Richard Oswald the previous November , was formally signed , and at Versailles , the separate treaties with France and Spain were also formalised . Treaty of Paris . The Treaty of Paris , signed on September 3 , 1783 , ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14 , 1784 and by the King of Great Britain on April 9 , 1784 ( the ratification documents were exchanged in Paris on May 12 , 1784 ) , formally ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the United States of America , which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775 . The other combatant nations , France , Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements ; for details of these see Peace of Paris ( 1783 ) . The agreement . The treaty document was signed at the Hôtel de York – which is now 56 Rue Jacob – by John Adams , Benjamin Franklin , and John Jay ( representing the United States ) and David Hartley ( a member of the British Parliament representing the British monarch , King George III ) . Hartley was lodging at the hotel , which was therefore chosen in preference to the nearby British Embassy – 44 Rue Jacob – as " neutral " ground for the signing . On September 3 , Britain also signed separate agreements with France and Spain , and ( provisionally ) with the Netherlands . In the treaty with Spain , the colonies of East and West Florida were ceded to Spain ( without any clearly defined northern boundary , resulting in disputed territory resolved with the Treaty of Madrid ) , as was the island of Minorca , while the Bahama Islands , Grenada and Montserrat , captured by the French and Spanish , were returned to Britain . The treaty with France was mostly about exchanges of captured territory ( France ' s only net gains were the island of Tobago , and Senegal in Africa ) , but also reinforced earlier treaties , guaranteeing fishing rights off Newfoundland . Dutch possessions in the East Indies , captured in 1781 , were returned by Britain to the Netherlands in exchange for trading privileges in the Dutch East Indies . The American Congress of the Confederation ratified the treaty of Paris on January 14 , 1784 , and copies were sent back to Europe for ratification by the other parties involved , the first reaching France in March . British ratification occurred on April 9 , 1784 , and the ratified versions were exchanged in Paris on May 12 , 1784 . It was not for some time , though , that the Americans in the countryside received the news due to the lack of communication . Based on preliminary articles made 30 November 1782 , and approved by the Congress of the Confederation on 15 April 1783 , this treaty was signed on 3 September 1783 , and ratified by Congress on 14 January 1784 , formally ending the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the thirteen former colonies which on 4 July 1776 had formed the United States of America . Signed at Versailles , 3 September 1783 , by George Montagu , 4th Duke of Manchester and the Count of Aranda . Treaty aftermath . Privileges which the Americans had received from Britain automatically when they had colonial status were withdrawn , ( including protection from pirates in the Mediterranean that led to the First Barbary War and the Second Barbary War ) . Individual states ignored Federal recommendations , under Article 5 , to restore confiscated Loyalist property , and also evaded Article 6 ( e . g . by confiscating Loyalist property for " unpaid debts " ) . Some , notably Virginia , also defied Article 4 , and maintained laws against payment of debts to British creditors . Individual British soldiers ignored the provision of Article 7 , about removal of slaves . The real geography of North America turned out not to match the details , given in the Canadian boundary descriptions . The Treaty specified a southern boundary for the United States , but the separate Anglo - Spanish agreement did not specify a northern boundary for Florida , and the Spanish government assumed that the boundary was the same as in the 1763 agreement , by which they had first given their territory in Florida to Britain . While that dispute continued , Spain used its new control of Florida to block American access to the Mississippi , in defiance of Article 8 . In the Great Lakes area , the British adopted a very generous interpretation of the stipulation that they should relinquish control " with all convenient speed " , because they needed time to negotiate with the Native Americans , who had kept the area out of United States control , but had been completely ignored in the Treaty . Even after that was accomplished , Britain retained control as a bargaining counter in hopes of obtaining some recompense for the confiscated Loyalist property . This matter was finally settled by the Jay Treaty in 1794 , and America ' s ability to bargain on all these points was greatly strengthened by the creation of the new constitution in 1787 , and victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers . Subsequent events . In 1784 , the British allowed trade with America but forbid some American food exports to the West Indies , while British exports to America reached £3 . 7 million , and imports only £750 , 000 . This imbalance caused a shortage of gold in the U . S . In 1784 , New York - based merchants opened the China trade , followed by Salem , Boston , Philadelphia . In 1785 , John Adams was appointed first minister to the Court of St James ' s ( Great Britain ) , and Jefferson replaced Franklin as minister to France . In 1789 , the Jay – Gardoqui Treaty with Spain , gave Spain exclusive right to navigate Mississippi River for 30 years , but was not ratified because of western opposition . Between 1793 - 1815 , the worldwide war erupted between Great Britain , and France ( and their allies ) . On the April 25th 1793 , Washington issued a proclamation , announcing the neutrality of the United States between the belligerent nations of Europe . America remained neutral until 1812 , did business with both sides , and was harassed by both sides . George Washington appointed John Quincy Adams United States Ambassador to the Netherlands ( at the age of 26 ) in 1794 , and to Portugal in 1796 . In 1795 , Jay Treaty with Britain averted war , and opened 10 years of peaceful trade with Britain , but failed to settle neutrality issues . British eventually evacuated the western forts , with boundary lines and debts ( in both directions ) , settled by arbitration . The treaty was barely approved by the Senate ( 1795 ) after revision , and was intensely opposed . It became a major issue in formation of First Party System . In 1796 , Treaty of Madrid established boundaries with the Spanish colonies of Florida and Louisiana , and guaranteed navigation rights on the Mississippi River . In 1797 , the Treaty of Tripoli , a peace treaty with Barbary state of Tripoli , was signed into law by President John Adams on June 10 . America said government was non - religious in origin and practice , but the treaty was violated in 1801 by the Basha of Tripoli , which led to the Tripolitanian War . In 1797 , the XYZ Affair erupted , with the humiliation by French diplomats , and the threat of war with France . In 1798 - 1800 , the Quasi - War , an undeclared naval war with Revolutionary France festered . John Adams in 1797 , appointed his son , John Quincy Adams as Minister to Prussia . There Adams signed the renewal of the very liberal Prussian - American Treaty of Amity and Commerce after negotiations with Prussian Foreign Minister Count Karl - Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein . External links . I