Download X, Y, Z Affair

X, Y, Z Affair
By: Emma Ellis
What was the X.Y,Z Affair
 The X, Y, Z Affair was an incident between France and the United
States that had resulted in an undeclared war (Quasi War).And
had led to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, and almost to war,
between the United States and France. The X, Y, Z Affair had
taken place in 1778 during one of the Napoleonic wars between
France and Great Britain. President John Adams had appointed
Charles Pinckney minister to France in 1796 in an attempt to ease
French-U.S. relations, but his plans had failed when the French
foreign minister, Charles Talleyrand, refused to accept Pinckney,
Adams appointed a commission to France, which consisted of
Pinckney, John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry. Talleyrand sent three
French agents to meet with the commission members. The three
agents (X, Y, Z) had stated that Talleyrand would agree to the
treaty if he received from the United States a $250,000 bribe and
France received a $10 million loan, the commission had refused.
Focus Question 1:
Who were X,Y,Z?
No, one is certain on who X,Y,Z were they
were publically showed as X,Y,Z. They're names were
later revealed as, Jean Conrad Hottinguer, Pierre
Bellamy and Lucien Hauteval.
Focus Question 1:
Jean Conrad Hottinguer (X)
The Hottinguer name has been connected with the
political, commercial, economic, cultural, and
religious life in Europe. His original name was Hans
Konrad, changed in 1764 to Jean-Conrad. He studied
finance in Geneva, where he took interest in the
emerging areas of commercial law. Became a
devoted student in public borrowing in both France
and Britain. Like Pierre Bellamy, Hottinguer was also
a banker, Swiss.
Focus Question 1:
Pierre Bellamy (Y)
Pierre Bellamy was an American banker in Hamburg,
Germany and an important merchant. Bellamy was
known to be Tallyrand’s personal banker. Pierre was
also introduced as Tallyrand’s close friend by
Hottinguer.
Focus Question 1:
Lucien Hauteval (Z)
Lucien Hauteval was a wealthy sugar planter from
Santo Domingo had lived in Boston, where he had
been acquainted with Elbridge Gerry. Lucien had
moved to Paris in 1796, and was known to be
especially friendly toward the United States.
Focus Question 2:
Who did X,Y,Z work for?
X,Y,Z had worked for the French foreign minister,
Charles Tallyrand. Each person had their own
connections is to how they knew Tallyrand. Jean
Conrad Hottinguer, X, had known Tallyrand through
various land purchases in Pennsylvania. Pierre
Bellamy, Y, knew Tallyrand because he was his
personal banker. Lucien Hauteval, Z, had connections
to Tallyrand because he was a close personal friend
of his.
Focus Question 3:
How was the French gov. at the time?
Napoleon Bonaparte was in charge of France during
the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. He led his armies to
victory after victory, and by 1807 France ruled
territory that stretched from Portugal to Italy. But his
attempt to conquest the rest of Europe failed when
he was defeated in Moscow nearly destroyed his
empire. He was exiled to the island of Elba, a year
later he returned to power for a short period, and
was sent to exile again to the island of St.Helena,
where he had died in 1821.
Sources
Websites:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XYZ_Affair
http://law.jrank.org/pages/11426/XYZ-Affair.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0852911.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Jean-Conrad_Hottinguer
http://wiki.monticello.org/mediawiki/index.php/XYZ_Affair
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/nr/16318.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happened_with_the_government_in_Fran
ce_during_the_1800's
Books:
John Marshall: Definer of a Nation
By: Jean Edward Smith
Published: New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996