Neutrality Act of 1794

E589896

The Neutrality Act of 1794 was an early U.S. federal law that criminalized unauthorized military expeditions against nations at peace with the United States, reinforcing the young republic’s policy of neutrality in foreign conflicts.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Neutrality Act of 1794 canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute ⓘ
neutrality law ⓘ
affects private military activity by U.S. persons ⓘ
aimsToProtect United States neutrality in international conflicts ⓘ
peaceful relations with foreign states ⓘ
appliesTo United States citizens ⓘ
linked to: U.S. citizens

persons within the jurisdiction of the United States ⓘ
capitalAtTimeOfEnactment Philadelphia ⓘ
constitutionalBasis foreign affairs powers of the federal government ⓘ
country United States of America ⓘ
dateEnacted 1794-06-05 ⓘ
enactedBy United States Congress ⓘ
enforcementBy executive branch of the United States ⓘ
federal courts of the United States ⓘ
historicalContext George Washington administration ⓘ
early years of the United States republic ⓘ
inForceStatus superseded and amended by later neutrality legislation ⓘ
inspiredBy Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793 ⓘ
jurisdiction United States federal government ⓘ
language English ⓘ
legalArea criminal law ⓘ
foreign relations law ⓘ
legalConsequence criminal penalties for violations ⓘ
legislativeBody United States Congress ⓘ
locationOfEnactment Philadelphia ⓘ
mainPurpose to criminalize unauthorized military expeditions against nations at peace with the United States ⓘ
to enforce U.S. neutrality in foreign conflicts ⓘ
to prevent private citizens from involving the United States in foreign wars ⓘ
notableFeature codified executive neutrality policy into statutory law ⓘ
one of the earliest federal statutes regulating foreign military involvement by private citizens ⓘ
penaltiesInclude fines ⓘ
imprisonment ⓘ
policyContext United States policy of neutrality ⓘ
prohibits enlisting or recruiting within the United States for foreign military service against nations at peace with the United States ⓘ
fitting out and arming of vessels within U.S. jurisdiction for service against nations at peace with the United States ⓘ
knowingly providing means for such unlawful military expeditions ⓘ
military expeditions against territories of nations at peace with the United States ⓘ
relatedTo Neutrality Act of 1817 ⓘ
Neutrality Act of 1818 ⓘ
later U.S. neutrality statutes collectively known as the Neutrality Acts ⓘ
shortDescription early U.S. neutrality statute criminalizing unauthorized military expeditions against nations at peace with the United States ⓘ
signatoryOffice President of the United States ⓘ
signedBy George Washington ⓘ
triggeringEvents Genêt affair ⓘ
foreign policy tensions between Britain and France in the 1790s ⓘ
yearEnacted 1794 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Neutrality Proclamation of 1793 → relatedLegislation → Neutrality Act of 1794 ⓘ
Neutrality Proclamation of 1793 → influenced → Neutrality Act of 1794 ⓘ