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Treaty of Amity Articles
The United States of America and His Catholic Majesty, desiring to consolidate,
on a permanent basis, the friendship and good correspondence which happily prevails between the two parties, have determined
to settle and terminate all their differences and pretensions, by a treaty, which shall designate, with precision, the limits
of their respective bordering territories in North America.
With this intention the President of the United States has furnished with
their full powers John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State of the said United States; and His Catholic Majesty has appointed
the Most Excellent Lord Don Luis De Onis, Gonzales, Lopez y Vara, Lord of the Town of Rayaces, Perpetual Regidor of the Corporation
of the city of Salamanca, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal American Order of Isabella the Catholic, decorated with the Lys
of La Vendee, Knight Pensioner of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles the Third, Member of the Supreme Assembly
of the said Royal Order; of the Council of His Catholic Majesty; his Secretary, with Exercise of Decrees, and His Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary near the United States of America.
And the said Plenipotentiaries, after having exchanged their powers, have
agreed upon and concluded the following articles:
There shall be a firm and inviolable peace and sincere friendship between
the United States and their citizens and His Catholic Majesty, his successors and subjects, without exception of persons or
places.
His Catholic Majesty cedes to the United States, in full property and sovereignty,
all the territories which belong to him, situated to the eastward of the Mississippi, known by the name of East and West Florida.
The adjacent islands dependent on said provinces, all public lots and squares, vacant lands, public edifices, fortifications,
barracks, and other buildings, which are not private property, archives and documents, which relate directly to the property
and sovereignty of said provinces, are included in this article. The said archives and documents shall be left in possession
of the commissaries or officers of the United States, duly authorized to receive them.
The boundary-line between the two countries, west of the Mississippi, shall
begin on the Gulf of Mexico, at the mouth of the River Sabine, in the sea, continuing north, along the western bank of that
river, to the 32d degree of latitude; thence, by a line due north, to the degree of latitude where it strikes the Rio Roxo
of Nachitoches, or Red River; then following the course of the Rio Roxo westward, to the degree of longitude 100 west from
London and 23 from Washington; then, crossing the said Red River, and running thence, by a line due north, to the river Arkansas;
thence, following the course of the southern bank of the Arkansas, to its source, in latitude 42 north; and thence, by that
parallel of latitude, to the South Sea. The whole being as laid down in Melish's map of the United States, published at Philadelphia,
improved to the first of January 1818. But if the source of the Arkansas River shall be found to fall north or south of latitude
42, then the line shall run from the said source due south or north, as the case may be, till it meets the said parallel of
latitude 42, and thence, along the said parallel, to the South Sea: All the islands in the Sabine, and the said Red and Arkansas
Rivers, throughout the course thus described. to belong to the United States; but the use of the waters, and the navigation
of the Sabine to the sea, and of the said rivers Roxo and Arkansas, throughout the extent of the said boundary, on their respective
banks, shall be common to the respective inhabitants of both nations.
The two high contracting parties agree to cede and renounce all their rights,
claims, and pretensions to the territories described by the said line, that is to say: The United States hereby cede to His
Catholic Majesty, and renounce forever, all their rights, claims, and pretensions, to the territories lying west and south
of the above-described line; and, in like manner, His Catholic Majesty cedes to the said United States all his rights, claims,
and pretensions to any territories east and north of the said line, and for himself, his heirs, and successors, renounces
all claim to the said territories forever.
To fix this line with more precision, and to place the landmarks which shall
designate exactly the limits of both nations, each of the contracting parties shall appoint a Commissioner and a surveyor,
who shall meet before the termination of one year from the date of the ratification of this treaty at Nachitoches, on the
Red River, and proceed to run and mark the said line, from the mouth of the Sabine to the Red River, and from the Red River
to the river Arkansas, and to ascertain the latitude of the source of the said River Arkansas, in conformity to what is above
agreed upon and stipulated and the line of latitude 42, to the South Sea: they shall make out plans, and keep journals of
their proceedings, and the result agreed upon by them shall be considered as part of this treaty, and shall have the same
force as if it were inserted therein. The two Governments will amicably agree respecting the necessary articles to be furnished
to those persons, and also as to their respective escorts, should such be deemed necessary.
The inhabitants of the ceded territories shall be secured in the free exercise
of their religion, without any restriction; and all those who may desire to remove to the Spanish dominions shall be permitted
to sell or export their effects, at any time whatever, without being subject, in either case, to duties.
The inhabitants of the territories which His Catholic Majesty cedes to the
United States, by this treaty, shall be incorporated in the Union of the United States as soon as may be consistent with the
principles of the Federal Constitution, and admitted to the enjoyment
of all the privileges, rights, and immunities of the citizens of the United States.
The officers and troops of His Catholic Majesty, in the territories hereby
ceded by him to the United States, shall be withdrawn, and possession of the places occupied by them shall be given within
six months after the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty, or sooner if possible, by the officers of His Catholic
Majesty to the commissioners or officers of the United States duly appointed to receive them; and the United States shall
furnish the transports and escort necessary to convey the Spanish officers and troops and their baggage to the Havana.
All the grants of land made before the 24th of January 1818, by His Catholic
Majesty, or by his lawful authorities, in the said territories ceded by His Majesty to the United States, shall be ratified
and confirmed to the persons in possession of the lands, to the same extent that the same grants would be valid if the territories
had remained under the dominion of His Catholic Majesty. But the owners in possession of such lands, who, by reason of the
recent circumstances of the Spanish nation, and the revolutions in Europe, have been prevented from fulfilling all the conditions
of their grants, shall complete them within the terms limited in the same, respectively, from the date of this treaty; in
default of which the said grants shall be null and void. All grants made since the said 24th of January 1818, when the first
proposal, on the part of His Catholic Majesty, for the cession of the Floridas was made, are hereby declared and agreed to
be null and void.
The two high contracting parties, animated with the most earnest desire of
conciliation, and with the object of putting an end to all the differences which have existed between them, and of confirming
the good understanding which they wish to be forever maintained between them, reciprocally renounce all claims for damages
or injuries which they, themselves, as well as their respective citizens and subjects, may have suffered until the time of
signing this treaty.
The renunciation of the United States will extend to all the injuries mentioned
in the convention of the 11th of August 1802.
2. To all claims on account of prizes made by French privateers, and condemned
by French Consuls, within the territory and jurisdiction of Spain.
3. To all claims of indemnities on account of the suspension of the right
of deposit at New Orleans in 1802.
4. To all claims of citizens of the United States upon the Government of Spain,
arising from the unlawful seizures at sea, and in the ports and territories of Spain, or the Spanish colonies.
5. To all claims of citizens of the United States upon the Spanish Government,
statements of which, soliciting the interposition of the Government of the United States have been presented to the Department
of State, or to the Minister of the United States in Spain, the date of the convention of 1802 and until the signature of this treaty.
The renunciation of His Catholic Majesty extends-
1. To all the injuries mentioned in the convention of the 11th of August 1802.
2. To the sums which His Catholic Majesty advanced for the return of Captain
Pike from the Provincias Internas
3. To all injuries caused by the expedition of Miranda, that was fitted out
and equipped at New York.
4. To all claims of Spanish subjects upon the Government of the United States
arizing from unlawful seizures at sea, or within the ports and territorial Jurisdiction of the United States.
Finally, to all the claims of subjects of His Catholic Majesty upon the Government
of the United States in which the interposition of his Catholic Majesty's Government has been solicited, before the date of
this treaty and since the date of the convention of 1802, or which may
have been made to the department of foreign affairs of His Majesty, or to his Minister of the United States
And the high contracting parties, respectively, renounce all claim to indemnities
for any of the recent events or transactions of their respective commanders and officers in the Floridas.
The United States will cause satisfaction to be made for the injuries, if
any, which, by process of law, shall be established to have been suffered by the Spanish officers, and individual Spanish
inhabitants, by the late operations of the American Army in Florida.
The convention entered
into between the two Governments, on the 11th of August 1802, the ratifications of which were exchanged the 21st December
1818, is annulled.
The United States, exonerating Spain from all demands in future, on account
of the claims of their citizens to which the renunciations herein contained extend, and considering them entirely cancelled,
undertake to make satisfaction for the same, to an amount not exceeding five millions of dollars. To ascertain the full amount
and validity of those claims, a commission, to consist of three Commissioners, citizens of the United States, shall be appointed
by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, which commission shall meet at the city of Washington,
and, within the space of three years from the time of their first meeting, shall receive, examine, and decide upon the amount
and validity of all the claims included within the descriptions above mentioned. The said Commissioners shall take an oath
or affirmation, to be entered on the record of their proceedings, for the faithful and diligent discharge of their duties;
and, in case of the death, sickness, or necessary absence of any such Commissioner, his place may be supplied by the appointment,
as aforesaid, or by the President of the United States, during the recess of the Senate, of another Commissioner in his stead.
The said Commissioners shall be authorized to hear and examine, on oath, every
question relative to the said claims, and to receive all suitable authentic testimony concerning the same. And the Spanish
Government shall furnish all such documents and elucidations as may be in their possession, for the adjustment of the said
claims, according to the principles of justice, the laws of nations, and the stipulations of the treaty
between the two parties of 27th October 1795; the said documents to be
specified, when demanded, at the instance of the said Commissioners.
The payment of such claims as may be admitted and adjusted by the said Commissioners,
or the major part of them, to an amount not exceeding five millions of dollars, shall be made by the United States, either
immediately at their Treasury, or by the creation of stock, bearing an interest of six per cent. per annum, payable from the
proceeds of sales of public lands within the territories hereby ceded to the United States, or in such other manner as the
Congress of the United States may prescribe by law.
The records of the proceedings of the said Commissioners, together with the
vouchers and documents produced before them, relative to the claims to be adjusted and decided upon by them, shall, after
the close of their transactions, be deposited in the Department of State of the United States; and copies of them, or any
part of them, shall be furnished to the Spanish Government, if required, at the demand of the Spanish Minister in the United
States.
The treaty of limits and navigation, of 1795, remains confirmed in all and
each one of its articles excepting the 2, 3, 4, 21, and the second clause of the 22d article, which, having been altered by this treaty, or having received their entire execution, are no longer valid.
With respect to the 15th article of the same treaty of friendship, limits,
and navigation of 1795, in which it is stipulated that the flag shall
cover the property, the two high contracting parties agree that this shall be so understood with respect to those powers who
recognize this principle; but if either of the two contracting parties shall be at war with a third party, and the other neutral,
the flag of the neutral shall cover the property of enemies whose government acknowledge this principle, and not of others.
Both contracting parties, wishing to favor their mutual commerce, by affording
in their ports every necessary assistance to their respective merchant-vessels, have agreed that the sailors who shall desert
from their vessels in the ports of the other, shall be arrested and delivered up, at the instance of the consul, who shall
prove, nevertheless, that the deserters belonged to the vessels that claimed them, exhibiting the document that is customary
in their nation: that is to say, the American Consul in a Spanish port shall exhibit the document known lay the name of articles,
and the Spanish Consul in American ports the roll of the vessel; and if the name of the deserter or deserters are claimed
shall appear in the one or the other, they shall be arrested, held in custody, and delivered to the vessel to which they shall
belong.
The United States hereby certify that they have not received any compensation
from France for the injuries they suffered from her privateers, Consuls, and tribunals on the coasts and in the ports of Spain,
for the satisfaction of which provision is made by this treaty; and they will present an authentic statement of the prizes
made, and of their true value, that Spain may avail herself of the same in such manner as she may deem just and proper.
The United States, to give to His Catholic Majesty a proof of their desire
to cement the relations of amity subsisting between the two nations, and to favor the commerce of the subjects of His Catholic
Majesty, agree that Spanish vessels, coming laden only with productions of Spanish growth or manufactures, directly from the
ports of Spain, or of her colonies, shall be admitted, for the term of twelve years, to the ports of Pensacola and St. Augustine,
in the Floridas, without paying other or higher duties on their cargoes, or of tonnage, than will be paid by the vessels of
the United States. During the said term no other nation shall enjoy the same privileges within the ceded territories. The
twelve years shall commence three months after the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty.
The present treaty shall be ratified in due form, by the contracting parties,
and the ratifications shall be exchanged in six months from this time, or sooner if possible.
In witness whereof we, the underwritten Plenipotentiaries of the United States
of America and of His Catholic Majesty, have signed, by virtue of our powers, the present treaty of amity, settlement, and
limits, and have thereunto affixed our seals, respectively.
Done at Washington this twenty-second day of February, one thousand eight
hundred and nineteen.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. [L. S.]
LUIS DE ONIS. [L. S.]
* This treaty was concluded February 22, 1819. The ratifications
were exchanged February 22, 1821, and proclaimed February 22, 1821. By the treaty
of Saint Ildefonso, made October 1, 1800, Spain had ceded Louisiana to France, and France, by the treaty of Paris, signed
April 30, 1803, had ceded it to the United States. Under
this treaty the United States claimed the countries between the Iberville and the Perdido. Spain contended that her
cession to France comprehended only that territory which, at the time of the cession, was denominated Louisiana, consisting
of the island of New Orleans, and the country which had been originally ceded to her by France west of the Mississippi. Congress
passed a joint resolution, approved January 15, 1811, declaring that the United States, under the peculiar circumstances of
the existing crisis, could not, without serious inquietude, see any part of this disputed territory pass into the hands of
any foreign power; and that a due regard to their own safety compelled them to provide, under certain contingencies, for the
temporary occupation of the disputed territory; they, at the same time, declaring that the territory should, in their hands,
remain subject to future negotiation. An act of Congress, approved on the same day, authorized the President to take possession
of and occupy all or any part of the territory lying east of the Perdido River and south of the State of Georgia
and the Mississippi Territory, in case an arrangement had been, or should be, made with the local authority of the said territory,
for delivering up the possession of the same, or any part thereof, to the United States, or in the event of an attempt to
occupy the said territory, or any part thereof, by any foreign government.
Source:
The Federal and State Constitutions Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the States,
Territories, and Colonies Now or Heretofore Forming the United States of America. Compiled and Edited Under the Act of Congress
of June 30, 1906 by Francis Newton Thorpe. Washington, DC : Government Printing Office, 1909.
President James Monroe: The Architect of the Monroe Doctrine (The
Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny)
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