Only '90s Kids Remember the XYZ Affair

Only '90s kids remember the XYZ Affair. (1790s kids, that is.)

In 1797, rising tensions between the United States and France prompted President John Adams to send three envoys overseas to negotiate peace with the French. But what resulted was less a triumph of diplomacy, and more a political fiasco.

The American envoys were met with unofficial intermediaries who insisted on receiving payments from them before they'd be allowed to hold meetings with the French Foreign Minister. The Americans refused to pay what they considered to be bribes and, surprised at their treatment, they sent dispatches back home to President Adams detailing their situation in France. 

To soften the news as he presented the dispatches to Congress, Adams redacted the names of the French intermediaries and replaced their names with W, X, Y and Z. Henceforth, it became known as the XYZ Affair, and shortly thereafter the Quasi War with France officially began. It was an undeclared naval war that would last two years.

The bad news is that the XYZ Affair was a disaster. The good news is that, in this case, we're all 1790s kids, and we'll always remember!

Shirt design is a contemporary political cartoon, showing the three American men refusing to make payments to the French.

Short-Sleeve Unisex T-Shirt
100% combed and ring-spun cotton

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