XYZ Affair

E65633

The XYZ Affair was a late 1790s diplomatic scandal between the United States and France, in which French agents demanded bribes from American envoys, inflaming anti-French sentiment and helping spark the Quasi-War.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf diplomatic scandal
historical event
chronologicallyBefore Convention of 1800
conflictBetween French Republic
United States of America
surface form: United States
countryInvolved France
United States of America
surface form: United States
describedBySource President John Adams’s messages to Congress
dispatches of American envoys
endTime 1798
followedBy Quasi-War
hasCause French seizure of American ships
hasCharacteristic demand for bribes
demand for loans to France
public outrage in the United States
secret diplomacy
hasEffect Quasi-War
deterioration of 1778 Franco-American alliance
increased support for a standing navy
military buildup of the United States Navy
passage of Alien and Sedition Acts
rise of anti-French sentiment in the United States
slogan “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute”
strengthening of Federalist Party
hasPart diplomatic incident in Paris
involves Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
surface form: American envoy Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

Elbridge Gerry
surface form: American envoy Elbridge Gerry

Rufus King
surface form: American envoy John Marshall

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
surface form: French foreign minister Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord

French intermediaries X
French intermediaries Y
French intermediaries Z
languageOfWorkOrName English
location Paris
United States of America
surface form: United States
mainSubject Franco-American relations
diplomatic negotiations
namedAfter code letters X, Y, and Z used for French agents in published documents
opposedBy Democratic-Republican Party
partOf history of Franco-American relations
history of the early United States
pointInTime late 1790s
significantFor Presidency of John Adams
surface form: Adams administration

Democratic-Republican Party
Federalists
surface form: Federalist Party
startTime 1797
supportedBy Federalists
surface form: Federalist Party

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.