Naval Act of 1794
E518820
The Naval Act of 1794 was a foundational U.S. law that authorized the construction of the nation’s first frigates, effectively establishing the United States Navy as a permanent military force.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States federal statute
ⓘ
naval legislation ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Act to Provide a Naval Armament NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
United States merchant vessels
ⓘ
United States seacoast defense ⓘ |
| authorizedConstructionOf |
USS Chesapeake
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
USS Congress (1799) NERFINISHED ⓘ USS Constellation (1797) NERFINISHED ⓘ USS Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ USS President NERFINISHED ⓘ USS United States NERFINISHED ⓘ United States Navy frigates ⓘ |
| considered | foundational law of the United States Navy ⓘ |
| context | post–American Revolutionary War period ⓘ |
| country | United States of America ⓘ |
| dateEnacted | 1794-03-27 ⓘ |
| enactedBy | United States Congress ⓘ |
| governmentBranch | legislative branch of the United States ⓘ |
| hasLanguage | English ⓘ |
| historicalEra | Early national period of the United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced | subsequent U.S. naval expansion laws ⓘ |
| legalStatus | enacted ⓘ |
| legislativeBody |
United States House of Representatives
ⓘ
United States Senate ⓘ |
| locationOfEffect |
Atlantic Ocean
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mediterranean Sea NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| longTermImpact | creation of a standing blue-water navy for the United States ⓘ |
| militaryBranchAffected | United States Navy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| numberOfFrigatesAuthorized | 6 ⓘ |
| officeOfSigner | President of the United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| precededBy | temporary naval measures of the Continental Congress ⓘ |
| purpose |
to defend United States commerce against the Barbary corsairs
ⓘ
to protect American merchant shipping ⓘ to provide a naval armament for the United States ⓘ |
| reasonForPassage | threats to American shipping by foreign powers and pirates ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Barbary corsairs
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
First Barbary War NERFINISHED ⓘ Quasi-War NERFINISHED ⓘ United States Navy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| resultedIn | establishment of a permanent United States Navy ⓘ |
| signedBy | George Washington NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
maritime security
ⓘ
military policy ⓘ naval defense ⓘ |
| yearEnacted | 1794 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.