Friends & Fellow Citizens

#141: Polarization, Partisanship, and the ABCs of the XYZ Affair

Sherman Tylawsky

While the XYZ Affair was not about deciphering secret codes, one could decipher some of the contentious eras of polarization and partisanship in American politics. Learn how this diplomatic episode between the Adams administration and French envoys divided the young nation, led to the buildup of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and almost led to a major conflict in the 1790s.

Learn more about MA signer Elbridge Gerry in Ep. 71!

Thumbnail photo: Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French Foreign Minister

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