Neutrality Act of 1794

Neutrality Act of 1794
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act in addition to the act for the punishment of certain crimes against the United States.
Enacted bythe 3rd United States Congress
EffectiveJune 5, 1794
Citations
Public lawPub. L. 3–50
Statutes at LargeStat. 381
Legislative history
Major amendments
Repealed and replaced by the Neutrality Act of 1818

The Neutrality Act of 1794 was a United States law which made it illegal for a United States citizen to wage war against any country at peace with the United States. The Act declares in part:[1]

If any person shall within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States begin or set on foot or provide or prepare the means for any military expedition or enterprise ... against the territory or dominions of any foreign prince or state of whom the United States was at peace that person would be guilty of a misdemeanor.

The act also forbade foreign war vessels to outfit in American waters and set a three-mile territorial limit at sea.[2]

The act was repealed and replaced several times while also being amended and a similar statute is in force as 18 U.S.C. § 960.[3][4]

  1. ^ Kwakwa, Edward K. (1992). The International Law of Armed Conflict: Personal and Material Fields of Application. Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 116. ISBN 0-7923-1558-8.
  2. ^ Kim, Sun Pyo (2004). Maritime Delimitation and Interim Arrangements in North East Asia. Martinus Nijhoff. pp. 225. ISBN 90-04-13669-X.
  3. ^ Application of the Neutrality Act to Official Government Activities
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lobel1983 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).