Agreed to on October 27, 1795, and also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo, the Pinckney Treaty is named for Thomas Pinckney, the negotiator for the United States. The treaty settled three key issues between Spain and the United States. First, although the Spanish had previously claimed territory to the Tennessee River, the Pinckney Treaty established the 31st parallel as the northern boundary of West Florida. Second, the Spanish granted free navigation on the Mississippi River to the United States. In 1784 the Spanish had officially prohibited such navigation and established control of both banks of the Mississippi River to the mouth of the Ohio River. But the level of illicit shipping on the river had been growing with the migration in the United States west of the Appalachian Mountains. Finally, also in part as a recognition of the inability to stop the illegal transfer of goods, the Spanish granted the right of free deposit in New Orleans— this privilege permitted citizens of the United States to store goods in New Orleans before shipping without paying customs duties. Although this last provision was for three years only, it allowed for an extension at New Orleans or some other port.
The terms of the treaty were a diplomatic triumph for the United States, granting tremendous advantages without conceding very much. South Carolinian Thomas Pinckney, who had diplomatic experience as minister to Great Britain, was partially responsible for this achievement. He refused a defensive alliance with Spain as a condition of the treaty. Much of the success, however, was also due to larger geopolitical circumstances. The French Revolution (1789-99) had pushed Spain into a costly war and alliance with Great Britain. In 1795 Spain sought a way out of the war and feared that withdrawal could lead to conflict with the British. With the Senate approval of Jay’s Treaty (1794), rapprochement between the United States and Great Britain would leave Spain exposed in its North American territories of Florida and Louisiana. Spain also began to recognize that it needed the trade of the United States to help sustain New Orleans. Finally, Spain realized that with its expanding western population the United States possessed a strength in numbers that it could not begin to match.
See also eoreign aeeairs.
Further reading: Arthur Preston Whitaker, The Spanish American Frontier: 1783-1795: The Westward Movement and the Spanish Retreat in the Mississippi Valley (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1927).
Pitt, William (1708-1778) prime minister American colonists cheered William Pitt, a leading British politician, for opposing several policies of the British government directed toward the colonies. William Pitt is often referred to as the Elder because his son, William Pitt the Younger, was also an influential British politician. Pitt the Elder was born in London to a prosperous family that made its fortune in colonial trade. He received a fine education at Eton and at Oxford. After a short period of service in the army, he was elected to the House of Commons in 1735. Pitt was an eloquent speaker and soon became known as the “Great Commoner.”
Pitt, through his rousing oratory and his opposition to Robert Walpole, soon rose through the parliamentary ranks. By 1746 he was postmaster general and by 1756 he became secretary of state. In 1757, during the French and Indian War (1754-63), he formed a coalition government with Thomas Pelham-Holles, duke of Newcastle. Pitt’s expert handling of the government and army during the war earned him great respect. However, after the accession of George III in 1760, Pitt was forced to resign from his position in 1761. He would never again obtain that level of power and influence. In 1763 he opposed the Treaty oe Paris (1763), and he joined in attacking the government over the John Wilkes affair. During the Stamp Act (1765) controversy he opposed the government because he believed only colonial assemblies should raise colonial taxes. These actions earned him the admiration of the colonists.
In 1766 Pitt accepted the title of earl of Chatham and was elevated to the House of Lords. He became prime minister after forming another coalition government. But illness limited his effectiveness, and the government was left to drift in 1767. Without Pitt’s direction, Parliament passed the Townshend Duties (1767), precipitating more conflict with the colonies. Pitt resigned from office in 1768 and thereafter appeared active in politics only occasionally. He argued before Parliament for the withdrawal of troops from Boston and later recommended that the Second Continental Congress be recognized as a lawful assembly with responsibility for raising colonial taxes. However, the British government rejected his proposals. The colonists saw Pitt as a defender of their rights, and his name appeared in countless colonial newspapers, pamphlets, and broadsides.
Although he argued passionately against British policy toward the colonies in the 1760s and 1770s, Pitt was an imperialist and fully believed Great Britain’s future lay abroad. In his plan the colonial assemblies would have the right to levy taxes but the British Parliament would have superiority in other matters. He saw no need for the colonies to declare their independence, and he despised acts of violence or insurrection, like the Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773), directed toward the British government. In 1778, in typical Pitt fashion, he collapsed during a dramatic speech before Parliament. Pitt was taken home and died a few months later.
Further reading: Peter D. Brown, William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, The Great Commoner (London: Allen & Unwin, 1978); Marie Peters, The Elder Pitt (London: Allen & Unwin, 1998); O. A. Sherrard, Lord Chatham and America (London: Bodly Head, 1958).
—Brant Day
World History
