Read moreRead more about What Was the XYZ Affair? For Adams and the Federalist-controlled Congress, there was tremendous anxiety about how to maintain America’s neutrality as Europe descended into war. There were legitimate fears that British or French operatives, working with state officials, ...
It might sound like something out of “Sesame Street” but the XYZ Affair was, in fact, a diplomatic incident between France and America in the late 18th century that led to an undeclared war at sea. In 1793, France went to war with Great Britain while America remained neutral. Late the...