Lyons-Seward Treaty of 1862
Encyclopedia
The Treaty between the United States and Great Britain for the Suppression of the Slave Trade, also known as the Lyons-Seward Treaty, was a treaty
entered into between the United States
and Great Britain
. It was negotiated by U.S. Secretary of State
William H. Seward
and British Ambassador to the United States Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons
. The treaty was concluded in Washington, D.C.
on April 7, 1862, and was unanimously ratified by the United States Senate
on April 25, 1862. Ratifications were exchanged in London, England, on May 25, 1862. It was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln
on July 7, 1862.
The treaty set forth aggressive measures to end the Atlantic slave trade
, including an agreement that the respective countries would use their navies to seize merchant vessels carrying captured Africans, including any vessel bearing indications of being a slave trading vessel, such as grated hatches instead of closed hatches, stores of food and water far exceeding the needs of a normal crew, and shackles or chains. It conceded to England the right of search to a limited extent in African and Cuban waters, but secured a similar concession for American war vessels from the British government. Seward, by his course in the Trent Affair
which preceded the negotiation of the Treaty, virtually committed Great Britain to the American attitude with regard to this right.
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
entered into between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. It was negotiated by U.S. Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
William H. Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
and British Ambassador to the United States Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons
Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons
Richard Bickerton Pemell Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, GCB, GCMG, PC, DCL was an eminent British diplomat.-Biography:...
. The treaty was concluded in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on April 7, 1862, and was unanimously ratified by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on April 25, 1862. Ratifications were exchanged in London, England, on May 25, 1862. It was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
on July 7, 1862.
The treaty set forth aggressive measures to end the Atlantic slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
, including an agreement that the respective countries would use their navies to seize merchant vessels carrying captured Africans, including any vessel bearing indications of being a slave trading vessel, such as grated hatches instead of closed hatches, stores of food and water far exceeding the needs of a normal crew, and shackles or chains. It conceded to England the right of search to a limited extent in African and Cuban waters, but secured a similar concession for American war vessels from the British government. Seward, by his course in the Trent Affair
Trent affair
The Trent Affair, also known as the Mason and Slidell Affair, was an international diplomatic incident that occurred during the American Civil War...
which preceded the negotiation of the Treaty, virtually committed Great Britain to the American attitude with regard to this right.