Description:

Secretary of State Randolph Certifies Neutrality Act of 1794 Making it Illegal For Any American to Wage War Against Any Country At Peace With The United States

The Neutrality Act of 1794 identified certain crimes against the United States, including enlisting in the services of foreign nations, arming or outfitting vessels for use in hostilities against other nations, and organizing or supporting any expedition against other nations. The law also provided the maximum sentences in fines and imprisonments for those guilty of such crimes.

EDMUND RANDOLPH, Printed Document Signed, "An Act in addition to the act for the Punishment of certain Crimes against the United States," June 5, 1794, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Signed in print by Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Ralph Izard, President of the Senate, pro tempore; and George Washington, President of the United States. 3 pp., 7" x 11.5". Expected folds; general toning and some foxing.

Excerpts
"That if any citizen of the United States shall within the territory or jurisdiction of the same accept and exercise a commission to serve a foreign prince or state in war by land or sea the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than two thousand dollars and shall be imprisoned not exceeding three years."

"That if any person shall within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States begin or set on foot or provide or prepare the means for any military expedition or enterprize to be carried on from thence against the territory or dominions of any foreign prince or state with whom the United States are at peace, every such person so offending shall upon conviction be adjudged guilty of a high misdemeanor and shall suffer fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court in which the conviction shall be had, so as that such fine shall not exceed three thousand dollars nor the term of imprisonment be more than three years."

Historical Background
In 1778, the Continental Congress allied with France which provided significant Revolutionary War aid to the United States. When the US ratified the Jay Treaty with Great Britain in 1794, France, then at war with Great Britain and Spain, accused the US of violating its alliance. The French ambassador, Edmond-Charles Genêt, actively recruited American privateers for attacks on Spanish and British shipping and encouraged filibustering expeditions against British Canada and Spanish possessions in Florida and South America.

In order to keep the US out of war with England, President George Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality in April 1793. Alexander Hamilton defended the proclamation in a series of seven Pacificus essays. James Madison replied to Hamilton with five Pacificus/Helvidius essays, criticizing the Proclamation.

The Senate was split; Vice President John Adams broke a tie in favor of the bill on March 13, 1794. After the House removed a section prohibiting the sale within the US of any vessels or cargoes captured by foreign warships or privateers, it approved the bill. President Washington signed the bill into law on June 5, 1794, making it illegal for a United States citizen to wage war against any country that was at peace with the United States.  A successor of the act remains in force today.

According to the provisions of the 1789 "Act to provide for the safe keeping of the Acts, Records, and Seal of the United States, and for other purposes," the Secretary of State was responsible for receiving signed bills, orders, and resolutions from the President and "carefully preserve the originals." This act also directed the Secretary of State to ensure that all such acts were published in at least three public newspapers and to deliver two printed copies "duly authenticated" to the governors of each state. This is one of those authenticated by Secretary of State Randolph and sent to a governor. Kentucky was admitted as the 15th state on June 1, 1792, so Randolph signed thirty copies. Few, if any such acts survive. The Secretary of State also distributed unsigned, printed copies on smaller paper to each senator and representative in Congress.

Edmund Randolph (1753-1813) was born into a prominent family in Williamsburg, Virginia, and graduated from the College of William and Mary. At the start of the American Revolution, his loyalist father returned to Britain, but Randolph joined the Continental Army as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington. From 1779 to 1782, he served as a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress. Maintaining his legal practice, he handled several issues for George Washington. He also trained John Marshall; when voters elected Randolph governor of Virginia in 1786, Marshall took over his law practice. Randolph was an influential Delegate to the Annapolis Convention of 1786 and the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where he introduced the Virginia Plan and was a member of the Committee on Detail charged with framing the first draft of the Constitution. President Washington appointed Randolph as the first U.S. Attorney General in September 1789, and he provided a useful neutral voice in disputes between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.
When Jefferson resigned as Secretary of State at the end of 1793, Randolph succeeded him. The major diplomatic initiative of his term was the 1794 Jay Treaty with Britain; although Randolph had to sign it, he opposed the treaty. As a corrective, he pushed negotiations for what became Pinckney's Treaty. Political intrigue ended his term as Secretary of State; hoping to neutralize Randolph's opposition to the Jay Treaty, the British government provided his opponents with documents written by French Minister Jean Antoine Joseph Fauchet that had been intercepted by the British Navy. The documents were innocuous, yet Federalists in the Cabinet claimed they proved that Randolph had disclosed confidential information and solicited a bribe. Washington affirmed his support for Jay's Treaty, and with the entire cabinet gathered, demanded that Randolph explain the letters. Randolph was innocent, but his standing with Washington was permanently weakened. Randolph resigned in 1795 and returned to Virginia to practice law. In 1807, in John Marshall's court and to Jefferson's great chagrin, Randolph successfully defended Vice President Aaron Burr against charges of treason.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

November 29, 2023 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000