An Early-19th Century wikiHow for Changing a French Flag to an American One
- In order to clear up confusion about Articles II and V of the 1800 Treaty of Mortefontaine and how they relate to the 1795 Treaty of San Lorenzo, and in order to strengthen the BFF factor between the United States and the French Republic, the POTUS and the first consul have agreed to let some dudes get together and hash out some details.
- The dudes are Robert R. Livingston, the United States' minister plenipotentiary; James Monroe, another American plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinary; and François de Barbé-Marbois, minister of the French Republic's treasury.
- This treaty contains those details in all their newly hashed-out glory.
- (FYI, the Treaty of Mortefontaine—also called the Convention of 1800—marked the end of a formal alliance between the United States and France, and Articles II and V dealt with debts between the countries and their peeps. The Treaty of San Lorenzo, also called Pinckney's Treaty, was all about giving American ships the right to cruise up and down the Mississippi and do business duty free in the then-Spanish city of New Orleans.)
- Right away, this treaty brings a super-top-secret deal between France and Spain out into the open—the 1800 Treaty of San Ildefonso, in which Spain gave Louisiana to France as long as France promised to never give it to anyone else—and basically says that whatever went on in that treaty, it doesn't matter now because Louisiana belongs to the United States forever and ever.
- Basically everything in Louisiana that isn't private property now belongs to the U.S. of A. And all the paperwork associated with everything in Louisiana? That now belongs to the Americans, too. Anyone else who really needs a copy of something can ask for one later.
- All the people currently living in Louisiana are now going to be American citizens.
- France needs to send someone to Louisiana to take it back from Spain, if that hasn't happened already, in preparation for handing it over to the United States.
- As soon as this treaty is ratified, all military outposts in Louisiana need to be turned over to the United States, and the military folks that were stationed there need to be getting on their way home. They have 90 days from ratification to get gone.
- The United States promises to respect and continue any treaties made between Spain and the Native American tribes in the area.
- For the next 12 years, starting three months after ratification, French ships hauling French stuff and Spanish ships hauling Spanish stuff can take advantage of any port in Louisiana, including New Orleans, duty free.
- No other country is going to get a deal like that because the goal is to promote French and Spanish commerce in the United States.
- And even after that 12-year thing expires, French ships are always going to get favorable treatment. Because the United States and the French Republic are buddies.
- BTW, there are two other docs related to this here treaty, and they're all going to be ratified together in one big ratification party.
- Once this puppy is signed, it needs to be ratified within six months.
- Livingston, Monroe, and Barbé-Marbois are signing English and French copies of this treaty, and they all declare that the original doc was in French.
- All three are signing and affixing their seals on April 30th, 1803—otherwise known as Floréal the 10th in the 11th year of the French Republic.