Treaty of Amity and Commerce (USA–Sweden)
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce Between the United States and Sweden, was a treaty signed on April 3, 1783 in Paris
, France
between the United States
and Sweden
. The treaty established a commercial alliance between these two nations and was signed during the American Revolutionary War
.
was the American resident in Paris
, and on September 28, 1782 he was given a new assignmnet by Congress, and was made Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty King Gustav III
of Sweden
. However, because Franklin was based in Paris, France, the discussions was carried out via the Swedish ambassador to the court of France, Count Gustaf Philip Creutz
.
On April 3, 1783, the two of them signed the treaty. Which was the first treaty signed by the U.S. with any nation not directly involved in the Revolutionary War. Therefore Sweden became the first neutral nation to officially recognize the young American republic.
The Treaty was ratified by Sweden on ?
1783.
The ratifications were exchanged at Paris on February 6, 1784
Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
"Treaty of Amity and Commerce," The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/. Accessed 30 March 2008.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The treaty established a commercial alliance between these two nations and was signed during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Background
In 1783 Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
was the American resident in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and on September 28, 1782 he was given a new assignmnet by Congress, and was made Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty King Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. However, because Franklin was based in Paris, France, the discussions was carried out via the Swedish ambassador to the court of France, Count Gustaf Philip Creutz
Gustaf Philip Creutz
Count Gustaf Philip Creutz , was a Swedish statesman, diplomat and poet. He was born in Finland and after concluding his studies at the Royal Academy of Turku he received a post in the Privy Council Chancery at Stockholm in 1751. Here he met Count Gyllenborg, with whom his name is indissolubly...
.
On April 3, 1783, the two of them signed the treaty. Which was the first treaty signed by the U.S. with any nation not directly involved in the Revolutionary War. Therefore Sweden became the first neutral nation to officially recognize the young American republic.
Signers
Provisions
- Peace and friendship between the U.S. and Sweden
- Mutual Most Favored Nation status with regard to commerce and navigation
- Mutual protection of all vessels and cargo when in U.S. or Swedish jurisdictionJurisdictionJurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
- Mutual right for citizens of one country to hold land in other's territory
- Mutual right to search a ship of the other's coming out of an enemy port for contrabandContrabandThe word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
- Right to due process of law if contraband is found on an allied ship and only after being Officially declared contraband may it be seized
- Mutual protection of Men of WarMen of Warthumb|Gameplay screenshotMen of War ) is a real-time tactics video game and the sequel to the 2006 game Faces of War , developed in partnership with Best Way and published by 1C Company, 505 Games, and Aspyr Media.The single player campaign takes place during World War II and features battles set...
and privateers and their crews from harm from the other party and reparationsReparation (legal)In jurisprudence, reparation is replenishment of a previously inflicted loss by the criminal to the victim. Monetary restitution is a common form of reparation...
to be paid if this provision is broken - Restoration of stolen property taken by pirates
- Right of Ships of War and privateers to freely carry ships and goods taken for their enemy
- Mutual assistance, relief, and safe harborSafe harborThe term safe harbor has several special usages, in an analogy with its literal meaning, that of a harbor or haven which provides safety from weather or attack.-Legal definition:...
to ships, both of War and Merchant, in crisis in the other's territory - Neither side may commission privateers against the other nor allow foreign privateers that are enemies of either side to use their ports
- Mutual right to trade with enemy states of the other as long as those goods are not contraband
- If the two nations become enemies nine months protection of merchant ships in enemy territory
- To prevent quarrels between allies all ships must carry passports and cargo manifests
- If two ships meet Ships of War and Privateers must stay out of cannonCannonA cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
range but may board the merchant ship to inspect her passports and manifests - Mutual Right to inspection of a ships cargo to only happen once
- Mutual right to have Counsuls, Vice Counsuls, Agents, and Commissaries of one nation in the other's ports
Ratification
The Treaty was ratified by Congress on September 25, 1783.The Treaty was ratified by Sweden on ?
?
or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference...
1783.
The ratifications were exchanged at Paris on February 6, 1784
Sources
Giunta, Mary A., ed. Documents of the Emerging Nation: U.S. Foreign Relations 1775-1789. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources Inc., 1998.Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
"Treaty of Amity and Commerce," The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/. Accessed 30 March 2008.
External links
- http://books.google.se/books?id=mnmlnfxB2acC&pg=PA316&lpg=PA316&dq=Treaty+of+Amity+and+Commerce+1783&source=bl&ots=YBIHcuS6Vu&sig=gNyhOqO-UnpOguhNRDMBOwdDR34&hl=sv&ei=Y5sJS9CaE8TP-QaoyYTGDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CB4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Treaty%20of%20Amity%20and%20Commerce%201783&f=false
- http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/bdsdcc:@field(DOCID+@lit(bdsdcc08701))|