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Jay's Treaty

John Jay · 1794

The 1794 treaty with Britain that Washington supported, averting war but sparking deep political division in the young United States.

Jay personally negotiated this treaty with Britain, an act that made him one of the most criticized men in America.

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Title page of a printed 1795 pamphlet reading 'Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation' between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, conditionally ratified at Philadelphia, June 24, 1795, printed by Neale and Kammerer, with a letter from Jefferson to Hammond annexed.
Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation ('Jay's Treaty'), printed Philadelphia, 1795.

About this source

What it is

Jay's Treaty, formally the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, was negotiated by John Jay and signed in 1794 between the United States and Great Britain. It resolved leftover disputes from the Treaty of Paris and arranged limited trade terms, taking effect in 1796.

Why it matters

President Washington supported the treaty, which was designed with Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. It avoided renewed war with Britain but angered France and divided American opinion, helping create the first American political parties: the Federalists, who favored it, and the Democratic-Republicans led by Jefferson and Madison, who opposed it. The debate shows how foreign policy decisions under Washington shaped domestic politics.

Look closer

  • Why might trade and border disputes left over from an earlier war cause a new crisis years later?
  • What does the fierce disagreement over this treaty reveal about differing visions for the young nation?
  • Why would a president's support for a treaty with a former enemy be controversial?

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Federalist No. 2

John Jay · 31 October 1787

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American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Negotiations with Great Britain

Benjamin West · 1783-1784

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Portrait of John Jay

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