“The Paris Monster”

When John Adams took office there were still issues with the
French. *French ships began to seize American ships because of
the treaty Washington made with the British (Jay’s Treaty).
President Adams (Chief Diplomat), a believer in Washington’s
foreign policy, decided to send representatives to France to
avoid further conflict. When the Americans arrived they were
asked to *pay a bribe just to meet with the foreign minister
(person in charge)! The French agents that offered the bribe
became known as Agents X,Y, and Z.
When the three commissioners arrived in France, they weren't
exactly welcomed through the official channels to begin
negotiations. Instead, they were met by three agents of the
Foreign Minister Talleyrand. Instead of giving their names in
their official report, the commissioners labeled these men X, Y,
and Z - hence the scandal's name. The agents demanded a
$250,000 bribe to meet with Talleyrand and a $12,000,000 loan!
At the time, bribes in politics were normal, but this was
ridiculous. Pinckney's response to the men was, 'No, no, not a
sixpence!'
The commissioners' report to Congress was made public, and
Americans were irate! Even the Democratic-Republicans, who
had staunchly supported the French, were supporting the
rallying cry: 'Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.'
Many people wanted war, especially Adams' fellow Federalists,
but President Adams refused to declare war. Instead, he
emphasized the importance of building up the military.
Below is a cartoon titled “The Paris Monster”. On the right,
you’ll see a five headed monster. The five heads represent the
three French agents and members of the French Directory, or
ruling executive body, demanding money. The three American
representatives, Elbridge Gerry, Charles Pinckney, and John
Marshall, are on the left, exclaiming “Cease bawling, monster!
We will not give you six-pence (any money)!”

Analyzing Political Cartoon Questions:

1. How did the cartoonist try to make the French look in this
cartoon (the five headed Paris monster)?
2. What other details in the cartoon show the cartoonist’s
attitude toward the French (top right hand corner for example)?

3- On the American side… who were the “M,P,Gs” agents?