10/26/2014
Treaty of San Lorenzo/ Pinckney’s Treaty, 1795 - 1784–1800 - Milestones - Office of the Historian
Milestones: 1784–1800
Treaty of San Lorenzo/ Pinckney’s Treaty, 1795
Spanish and U.S. negotiators concluded the Treaty of San Lorenzo, also known as Pinckney ’s Treaty , on October
27 , 17 95. The treaty was an important diplomatic success for the United States. It resolv ed territorial disputes
between the two countries and granted American ships the right to free nav igation of the Mississippi Riv er as
well as duty -free transport through the port of New Orleans, then under Spanish control.
Thomas Pinckney
Prior to the treaty , the western and southern borders of the United States had been a source of tension between
Spain and the United States. The U.S. border extended to the Mississippi Riv er, but its southern stretch
remained in Spanish territory , and Spanish officials, reluctant to encourage U.S. trade and settlement in a
strategic frontier area, kept the Mississippi Riv er closed to American shipping. Moreov er, both Spain and the
United States claimed portions of the present-day states of Alabama and Mississippi, and earlier negotiations to
resolv e the territorial disputes had broken off inconclusiv ely . The Spanish gov ernment maintained sev eral forts
in the disputed territories, and could also count on indigenous resistance to U.S. attempts to surv ey or encroach
upon Nativ e American lands. U.S. citizens from the southern states and frontier areas found Spanish policies
restrictiv e, and wanted the U.S. Gov ernment to renegotiate its positions.
Prior to 17 89, Spanish policy had focused on keeping American trade and settlement in frontier areas to a
minimum, and so neither Spanish colonial officials nor policy makers in Madrid were interested in granting the
concessions that U.S. negotiators had attempted to obtain earlier. Howev er, Spanish interests changed during
the wars of the French Rev olution. Spain joined the other European monarchies in war against France in 17 93,
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/pickney-treaty
1/3
10/26/2014
Treaty of San Lorenzo/ Pinckney’s Treaty, 1795 - 1784–1800 - Milestones - Office of the Historian
but by 17 94 Spanish forces experienced defeats in the Caribbean and Europe. Spanish King Charles IV,
uninterested in managing political affairs, had earlier handed political and diplomatic responsibilities to his
prime minister, Manuel de Godoy . Godoy sought to extract Spain from its alliance with its traditional enemy
Great Britain, and to restore peace with France. Godoy ’s policy was not without risks, as antagonizing the British
would put Spanish colonies in the Americas at risk.
While Spanish diplomats sought to shift Spanish alliances, U.S. diplomat John Jay arriv ed in London to negotiate
a treaty with Great Britain. Spanish officials feared that Jay ’s negotiations would result in an Anglo-American
alliance and an inv asion of Spanish possessions in North America. Sensing the need for rapprochement, Godoy
sent a request to the U.S. Gov ernment for a representativ e empowered to negotiate a new treaty . President
George Washington selected South Carolinian Thomas Pinckney , who had been serv ing as United States minister
to Great Britain.
Charles IV of Spain
Pinckney arriv ed in Spain in June of 17 95, and negotiations proceeded swiftly . Spain’s political and military
position had weakened under its defeats and war expenses, while population growth in Kentucky and Tennessee,
combined with a shortage of European ships to sustain trade with Louisiana, made Spanish officials amenable to
a change in restrictiv e Spanish trade policies. Godoy offered to accept the 31st parallel as the U.S.-Florida
border as well as the right to free nav igation of the Mississippi, which Americans west of the Appalachians
supported enthusiastically . In return, Godoy requested that the United States commit to an alliance with Spain.
Pinckney rejected the alliance, and after further consultation Godoy prov ided the same offer without the
necessity of the alliance. Nev ertheless, negotiations came to an impasse as the Spanish continued to insist on
their right to require duties for goods passing through Spanish-held New Orleans. Pinckney threatened to leav e
without signing a treaty unless the Spanish dropped duties on American trade passing through New Orleans. The
next day , Godoy agreed to Pinckney ’s demands, and the two negotiators signed the treaty on October 27 , 17 95.
The final treaty also v oided Spanish guarantees of military support that colonial officials had made to Nativ e
Americans in the disputed regions, greatly weakening those communities’ ability to resist encroachment upon
their lands.
The Treaty of San Lorenzo enabled and encouraged American settlers to continue westward expansion, and
made frontier areas more attractiv e and lucrativ e. Consequently , it was popular with the American public,
especially in the West and South. Since Thomas Pinckney was associated with the Federalist Party , the treaty
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/pickney-treaty
2/3
10/26/2014
Treaty of San Lorenzo/ Pinckney’s Treaty, 1795 - 1784–1800 - Milestones - Office of the Historian
serv ed to bolster the Federalists outside of their New England stronghold and giv e the party a stronger base in
areas where it had traditionally been weak. Diplomatically , the treaty marked a rev erse in Spanish policies that
attempted to maintain a strong buffer region in North America, while placing the United States in a stronger
position in relation to European powers compared to the U.S. concessions made in Jay ’s Treaty .
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/pickney-treaty
3/3