The “Quasi-War”: The only war between France and the United States

“There shall be a firm inviolable and universal peace, and a true and sincere friendship between His Britannick Majesty, his heirs and successors, and the United States of America; and between their respective countries, territories, cities, towns and people of every degree, without exception of persons or places.”

“It is agreed between His [Britannick] Majesty and the United States of America, that there shall be a reciprocal and entirely perfect liberty of navigation and commerce, between their respective people, in the manner, under the limitations, and on the conditions specified in the following articles.”

– Articles 1 and 11 of the Jay Treaty (signed in 1794, and proclaimed in 1796), as negotiated by ambassador John Jay under President George Washington – which angered the French enough for France to fight the “Quasi-War” with the United States

That time that the United States went to war with France (sort of)

You might already know that the American colonies rebelled against Britain, in our “Revolutionary War.” You might further know that we fought against Britain again during our “War of 1812.” In both of these wars, we were thus allied with distant France. Thus, many Americans would feel some degree of “gratitude” to France for helping us with these wars. But the situation may actually be a little more complicated. In the late eighteenth century, we fought a small (but still important) war with France on the high seas. This is a lesser-known conflict, which was between the American Revolution and the War of 1812. During this conflict, we had to make some difficult choices about whom we would choose as allies. And we had to make some equally difficult choices … about whom we would choose as our enemies. Had the war gone a little differently, our “War of 1812” might have instead been against France – and who knows what the war’s consequences would have been in that case? This had the potential to change American history, if it had been navigated a little less delicately.

Fire at Port-Royal following Samuel Argall’s attack – French Acadia, 1613

A review of Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution” (PBS)

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government.”

– The United States Declaration of Independence (July 4th, 1776)

My prior concerns about this series, and how my hopes for this series were restored

When I first saw Ken Burns’ prior series “The Civil War,” I was mesmerized by it. I still consider it to be among the greatest series ever made, of any kind. And, in many ways, I was looking forward to seeing Ken Burns’ coverage of the American Revolution as well. But I confess that I also had some concerns about how he would cover this massive (and important) topic. These concerns were partially stoked by his biographical film about Thomas Jefferson, which could almost be described as a hatchet job. The film had so much coverage of his slaveholding, and his relationship with Sally Hemings (both legitimate topics), that it drowned out his considerable role in drafting the Declaration of Independence. But, thankfully, my confidence in Ken Burns’ coverage was restored somewhat, when I saw his biographical film about Benjamin Franklin. This proved far more sympathetic, and gave me hope that he would cover the American Revolution in a (somewhat) more sympathetic light. Ken Burns definitely covers the slavery issues, and he also covers the comparable issues surrounding Native American involvement. Both of these receive a lot of time in this series. But he also shows that the British were willing to sacrifice Black and Native American interests to their own war aims, even if they still tended to offer a better deal to these two ethnic groups than the Patriot side did. And he shows that there were many Blacks and Native Americans who fought for the Patriot side, even if there were still far more of them who fought for the British and Loyalist side.

Why there are still American Revolution and Civil War buffs

“And there was Cap’n Washington,

And gentle folks about him;

They say he’s grown so ‘tarnal proud

He will not ride without ‘em.

Yankee Doodle keep it up,

Yankee Doodle dandy,

Mind the music and the step,

And with the girls be handy.”

– “Yankee Doodle,” written in 1755 – although some verses (like the one before the famous chorus above) were later added, when this became the first American patriotic song

Our Revolution and Civil War (particularly the latter) receive much interest in America …

This might seem a strange way to begin a blog post about these American topics … but, in nearby Canada, people strongly remember the “Seven Years’ War,” including the portion known to Americans as the “French and Indian War.” Canadians also strongly remember the War of 1812 – in which they fought against the United States. But Canadians usually forget the American Revolution (where they had been fighting against the Americans), and the American Civil War (which coincided with the peaceful Confederation period in Canada). Conversely, Americans usually forget the “Seven Years’ War” (including the “French and Indian War” portion thereof), and they usually forget the War of 1812 as well. But the American Revolution is considered a big deal here in the United States, and so (to an even greater degree) is the American Civil War. Why is this? Why are there still many American Revolution buffs here – and why is our Civil War still one of the most popular historical topics in the United States? And why do these subjects remain important today, all of these years after both of these conflicts ended – one in 1865, and the other even earlier in 1783? These are the questions that this post will try to explore. I will try to show how both of these subjects can shed some light on the American identity – by telling us who we are as Americans. They are related to promises about liberty and equality, and what they mean for Americans today. To some extent, this may explain why Americans are still interested in these conflicts today.

Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge

How decades of conflicts sucked Europe into the Great War

Germans annex the Alsace-Lorraine region, and Germany becomes a unified nation

In 1870, France declared war on Prussia, in an attempt to assert its dominance over the continent of Europe. They soon invaded German territory, and seemed to do well for a period of some two days. But the Germans soon counterattacked, and were routing the French before too long. After some months, the German troops made it all the way to Paris, eventually causing the war to end in 1871. The Franco-Prussian War, as it is now called, had profound consequences for the continent of Europe. It enabled the Germans to annex Alsace-Lorraine, which would be a thorn in Franco-German relations during both of the upcoming world wars. And, even more importantly, it completed the process of unifying the German states into a single nation. That is, the process was completed in 1871. Some would date this as the beginning of the road to the Great War. This road would have a seminal effect upon both of the upcoming world wars. In this post, I will try to examine a series of minor wars and crises that (arguably) led up to World War One. Their effect seems to be far more than the sum of their parts, because they eventually caused Europe to explode … into the truly “Great War.”

Prussian field artillery column at Torcy – France, 1870

A review of “The Korean War” (audiobook)

In 1950, the Cold War suddenly became hot. North Korea launched a full-scale invasion of South Korea. The Korean War would soon draw in nations from throughout the world. 33,000 Americans died in battle in Korea. When you include people who died in prison camps, or who simply froze to death, the total American deaths go up even higher to 54,000. How did the Korean Peninsula become the epicenter of a raging storm? How did that storm suck in the United States and its various allies? And what was the ultimate legacy of the Korean War? These are the questions that a brief (but entertaining) audiobook tries to answer. They examine the philosophies of both sides, and the series of events that pulled the war-weary free world into yet another conflict.

A review of Andrew Marr’s “History of the World” (BBC)

Before watching this film, I had enjoyed watching Andrew Marr’s “Modern Britain” series, which covered the period from 1901 to 2007. More to the point, I greatly enjoyed the presenting style of Andrew Marr himself, since he often has an amusing (and even hilarious) way of putting things. Nonetheless, I initially resisted getting Andrew Marr’s “History of the World.” I suppose that I was skeptical of doing the entire “History of the World” in just eight hours. I had already learned from other histories that covered specific parts of the world in more detail. I especially knew the history of the West quite well, but also had a basic understanding of some of the other major world cultures – even though I still (admittedly) lack knowledge of many others. But, as Andrew Marr says in this film’s introduction, it can help to have the big picture in mind. This “big picture” can allow you to make some connections between the different times and places. It allows you to synthesize many of the different pieces into a coherent narrative. For example, by surveying the different topics, you can find important differences among the stories of diverse cultures. You can also find the commonalities that tie them together. Thus, I would like to offer my review of this series, for any that are interested. I will start with one of the weakest episodes, which is the very first episode. Then I will transition into covering some of the better stuff in the later episodes.

The American Revolutionary War was fought on four different continents

Even many British histories of the war tend (understandably) to gloss over this subject

In the eighteenth century, the British Empire was the most powerful nation in the world. It had a powerful army and navy, and controlled massive amounts of territory. It greatly outnumbered the American rebels, and even had many American Loyalists on its side. Thus, one might have expected the British military to win the day in this struggle. Yet, at the end of this conflict, the British permanently lost their thirteen American colonies. Why is this? Many explanations have been proposed, such as the poor decision-making on the part of their military leaders – and I should acknowledge that this was indeed a factor. Other factors have also been cited, such as the British failure to win the hearts and minds of the American people. But, for many historians, one factor stands out above all of the rest. This was the series of alliances between the American rebels and certain of the major European powers. The most famous of these alliances is probably that which the Americans would form with the French. However, the Spanish and the Dutch would also eventually be joining the war on the American side. The British even had to face a few enemies in India, and fight a world war in many different places.

The Royal Navy relief at the Great Siege of Gibraltar – Europe, 1782

Thus, here’s the part of the American Revolution that your history classes never told you

The standard histories of the American Revolution usually avoid covering these things, or mention them only in passing. Even Richard Holmes’ “Rebels & Redcoats: How Britain Lost America” focuses almost entirely on the North American campaigns. Thus, Mr. Holmes only covers the French participation … when it becomes relevant to these more prominent campaigns in North America. For example, Holmes covers the naval battle of the Chesapeake, which was off of the coast of Virginia. Mr. Holmes also covers the French participation in the final battle at Yorktown, which was on land. But campaigns elsewhere in the world are mentioned only in passing in his own history. Therefore, even many of the standard British histories have tended to pass over this turbulent international context. This is understandable, because the campaigns in North America have tended to be the most prominent – even for the British. But their wars elsewhere in the world saw some ferocious battles and campaigns for the British, and a clash of empires on a massive scale. Indeed, the war was actually fought on four different continents. Thus, I would like here to dive into the Revolution’s fascinating international context. In so doing, I will try to offer my own perspective … on why America was ever able to gain her independence, at this time or at any other. This will also help to explain why the mighty British Empire ultimately lost the American Revolution.

A British sortie in the Great Siege of Gibraltar – Europe, 1781