Neutrality Act of 1794
E589896
The Neutrality Act of 1794 was an early U.S. federal law that criminalized unauthorized military expeditions against nations at peace with the United States, reinforcing the young republic’s policy of neutrality in foreign conflicts.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States federal statute
ⓘ
neutrality law ⓘ |
| affects | private military activity by U.S. persons ⓘ |
| aimsToProtect |
United States neutrality in international conflicts
ⓘ
peaceful relations with foreign states ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
United States citizens
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
persons within the jurisdiction of the United States ⓘ |
| capitalAtTimeOfEnactment | Philadelphia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| constitutionalBasis | foreign affairs powers of the federal government ⓘ |
| country | United States of America ⓘ |
| dateEnacted | 1794-06-05 ⓘ |
| enactedBy | United States Congress ⓘ |
| enforcementBy |
executive branch of the United States
ⓘ
federal courts of the United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
George Washington administration
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
early years of the United States republic ⓘ |
| inForceStatus | superseded and amended by later neutrality legislation ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
United States government
ⓘ
surface form:
United States federal government
|
| language | English ⓘ |
| legalArea |
criminal law
ⓘ
foreign relations law ⓘ |
| legalConsequence | criminal penalties for violations ⓘ |
| legislativeBody | United States Congress ⓘ |
| locationOfEnactment | Philadelphia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainPurpose |
to criminalize unauthorized military expeditions against nations at peace with the United States
ⓘ
to enforce U.S. neutrality in foreign conflicts ⓘ to prevent private citizens from involving the United States in foreign wars ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
codified executive neutrality policy into statutory law
ⓘ
one of the earliest federal statutes regulating foreign military involvement by private citizens ⓘ |
| penaltiesInclude |
fines
ⓘ
imprisonment ⓘ |
| policyContext | United States policy of neutrality ⓘ |
| prohibits |
enlisting or recruiting within the United States for foreign military service against nations at peace with the United States
ⓘ
fitting out and arming of vessels within U.S. jurisdiction for service against nations at peace with the United States ⓘ knowingly providing means for such unlawful military expeditions ⓘ military expeditions against territories of nations at peace with the United States ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Neutrality Act of 1817
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Neutrality Act of 1818 NERFINISHED ⓘ later U.S. neutrality statutes collectively known as the Neutrality Acts ⓘ |
| shortDescription | early U.S. neutrality statute criminalizing unauthorized military expeditions against nations at peace with the United States ⓘ |
| signatoryOffice | President of the United States ⓘ |
| signedBy | George Washington NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| triggeringEvents |
Genêt affair
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
foreign policy tensions between Britain and France in the 1790s ⓘ |
| yearEnacted | 1794 ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.