ABSTRACT
Based upon United States consular and business records, this chapter reviews the modality of American shipping and trade in the Mediterranean during the French Wars. It shows how the navigation of a small power such as the United States could take advantage of European warfare in order to penetrate the complex trading in this area. Part of the trade carried by United States ships in the Mediterranean was on behalf of belligerents. From the Mediterranean, American ships sailed to Northern Europe, Asia or America. The chapter argues that the benefits of neutrality for the United States were different in different times and places. Securing safe shipping conditions through peace treaties and consular efforts was essential in order to take advantage of neutrality during the French Wars. The evolution of trade to the Italian peninsula shows the positive impact of war upon American Mediterranean trade, especially at the end of the Quasi-War against France.
