What was the XYZ affair?
A) It was an incident where a British ship attacked and American naval vessel without warning.
B) It was an effort by the French to get the United States to pay a bribe before they would negotiate.
C) It was the first time that the United States tried to publish its own English dictionary.
D) It was an attempt by Thomas Jefferson to persuade undecided electors to vote for him.
E) It was the first scandal in American presidential history when George Washington was caught cheating on his income taxes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The XYZ Affair was an incident in which French diplomats, referred to as X, Y, and Z in documents to keep their identities secret, demanded bribes from American envoys before negotiations could begin. This event led to a quasi-war between France and the United States in the late 1790s.

What Was the XYZ Affair