In autumn 1801, Great Britain and France agreed to make peace, ending a war that had begun in February 1793. Both nations sought a way out of the conflict, which had drained their treasuries and seemed to be locked in a stalemate. The French and British came to an initial agreement on October 1, 1801, in London and then signed a more formal treaty at Amiens, France, on March 25, 1802. Neither power ever fulfilled all of its obligations in the treaty. Napoleon Bonaparte used the peace to consolidate many of his holdings in Europe, while the British did not relinquish all of their overseas colonial conquests and clung to their base in Malta. By early 1803 war again appeared likely, and hostilities resumed on May 18, 1803.

This hiatus in the Anglo-French Wars (1793-1815) had important ramifications for the United States. First, it alleviated the ongoing diplomatic tension between the United States and the belligerent powers over the issue of neutral trade and impressment. This development made the early years of President Thomas Jefferson's administration easier, allowing him to pursue his domestic agenda unhindered by major foreign policy concerns and to concentrate naval forces on the Barbary Wars. Second, it set the stage for the Louisiana Purchase (1803) since Napoleon Bonaparte used the break in the war to attempt to regain control over the rebellious Saint-Domingue (Haiti). When that effort failed, Napoleon decided that his larger plans for a North American empire would not come to fruition and that he might as well sell Louisiana before war broke out again with Great Britain. Third, once war erupted in Europe in 1803, the problems with the belligerent powers intensified, creating diplomatic difficulties that would mark Jefferson's second term and ultimately lead to the War of 1812 (1812-15).

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