Description:

Washington George

Rare Broadside Regarding Rights of Impressed American Seamen, Signed in Type by George Washington

1p printed broadside signed in type at bottom by George Washington as President, Jonathan Dayton as Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Samuel Livermore as President pro tempore of the Senate. Issued on May 28, 1796. On cream laid paper with expected wear including edge darkening, else near fine. 8.5" x 13".  

An extract of the Act, entitled, ‘An Act, for the relief and Protection of American Seamen;’ passed in the fourth Congress of the United States, at the first Session, begun and held at the City of Philadelphia, on Monday the seventh of December, One thousand seven hundred and ninety-five (Baltimore, MD: John Hayes, 1796) is rare. Evans 31340. We are aware of only one other example ever being offered for sale. 

The act addressed the impressment of American seamen by the navies of Europe, especially those of Great Britain and France. Impressment was a major contributing factor in precipitating American entry into the Quasi-War with France (1798-1800) and the War of 1812 with Great Britain.

Excerpts

“…it shall and hereby is declared to be the duty of the master of every ship or vessel of the United States, any of the crew whereof shall have been impressed or detained by any foreign power, at the first port, at which such ship or vessel shall arrive...immediately to make a protest, stating the manner of such impressment, or detention, by whom made, together with the name and place of residence of the person impressed or detained; distinguishing also, whether he was an American citizen; and if not, to what nation he belonged. And it shall be the duty of such master to transmit by post, or otherwise, every such protest made in a foreign country, to the nearest Consul or Agent, or to the Minister of the United States, resident in such country.”

 

“That a copy of this law be transmitted by the Secretary of State, to each of the Ministers and Consuls of the United States, resident in foreign countries, and by the Secretary of the Treasury, to the several Collectors of the districts of the United States, whose duty it is hereby declared to be, from time to time, to make known the provisions of this law, to all masters of ships and vessels of the United States entering or clearing at their several offices.”

After its independence from Great Britain was formally recognized by the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the United States had the difficult task of protecting its ships at sea. War raged between Great Britain and revolutionary France in the mid- and late-1790s, but the neutral policy of the United States allowed it to trade with both belligerents, and the value of American exports tripled. Yet diplomatic relations deteriorated when the United States stopped repaying its debt to France in 1792 based on the argument that it was a debt owed to the French monarchy and not the new French Republic. The French government authorized privateers to seize U.S. ships trading with Great Britain in response. Likewise, Great Britain, needing experienced sailors, began seizing American sailors suspected of being British subjects for impressment into the British Royal Navy.

On March 14, 1796, Congressman Edward Livingston of New York introduced a bill for the relief and protection of American seamen. Some Congressmen opposed the bill, believing the standards of proof for the citizenship of American sailors was too loose. The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 77 to 13 on March 28th. On April 20th, the Senate tried to amend the bill but ultimately accepted the House version on May 24th, and President Washington signed it on May 28th.

The first section of the act authorized the President to appoint two agents, one of whom would reside in Great Britain, to investigate the “situation of such American citizens, or others, sailing, conformably to the law of nations, under the protection of the American flag” that had been impressed or detained and to obtain the release of all American citizens. Thus, the actions of Great Britain were the primary motivation for this act. Section four instructed port collectors to provide a certificate of U.S. citizenship to all seamen who requested one, provided proof of citizenship, and paid a fee of twenty-five cents. According to the seventh section of the act, collectors were to send a list of all seamen registered under the act to the Secretary of State once per quarter.

This broadside provided a copy of the fifth and sixth sections of the act, which dealt with the responsibilities of captains and masters of vessels, who were the intended audience for this broadside.

English native John Hayes (1757-1822), the printer of this broadside, operated a printing establishment in the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. From 1783 to 1792, he was the publisher of The Maryland Gazette; or, the Baltimore Advertiser newspaper, and he also published almanacs.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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