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The Jay Treaty of 1794 (also known as '''Jay's Treaty''' or the '''Treaty of London'''), named after Chief Justice Of The United States John Jay , was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain signed on November 19 , 1794 that attempted to clear up some of the lingering problems of American separation from Great Britain following the American Revolutionary War . The background was the War between Britain and France. The U.S. had a treaty of alliance with France dating back to 1778. George Washington , on his second term, decided to concentrate on foreign policy issues. The most pressing issues were with the British, and to deal with them Washington sent the Supreme Court Chief Justice to London to talk with the British leadership. The Americans had a number of issues they wanted dealt with:
Jay's negotiations with the British were partly successful. The British agreed to vacate the western forts, and to compensate American ship owners. In return, the British gave Most Favored Nation trading status to the Americans. The British refused to give any more concessions, however, unless the United States provided compensation for the vast amounts of Loyalist property seized after the revolution. The British also refused to allow trade between the U.S. and the Caribbean . In addition, the treaty failed to deal with two other issues between the nations: the Impressment of sailors and the debts owed by way of compensation to Loyalists . The treaty was submitted to the United States Senate for ratification in June 8 1795. The Senate passed a resolution on June 24 advising the president to amend the treaty by suspending the 12th article, which concerned trade between the U.S. and the West Indies. On August 14, the Senate ratified the treaty 20-10, with the condition that the treaty contain specific language regarding the June 24th resolution. The Treaty was proclaimed in effect on February 29 , 1796 . Anglophobes who wanted more support for France in the French Revolutionary Wars were angry with this settlement, and there were public protests against Jay and his treaty. One popular cry went: Damn John Jay! Damn everyone that won't damn John Jay! Damn every one that won't put lights in his window and sit up all night damning John Jay! Alexander Hamilton , however, convinced Washington it was the best treaty that could be expected. Washington, who insisted the U.S. must remain neutral in the European wars then raging, signed it. This action caused Thomas Jefferson , the leader of the pro-French faction, to step up his propaganda and grass roots activism; these "Republicans" fought and lost the 1796 presidential election on the issue. The treaty was eventually replaced by the Treaty Of Ghent after the War Of 1812 . References
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