Did the U.S. and France ever go to war with each other?

Yes and no, the U.S. and France almost went to war with each other.

From 1798 to 1800, the U.S. and France clashed in a series of naval hostilities but never formally declared war.

At issue was France’s resentment at what it viewed as American partiality to France’s enemy Britain.

The U.S. was angry because French privateers had been seizing American ships and the French foreign minister had demanded a bribe in return for peace talks.

After two years of clashes at sea, an agreement with new French leader Napoleon Bonaparte ended the “quasi-war.”

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