1790-August-26: In a confidential letter to William Short, Thomas Jefferson suggested that the French colonial deputies should be encouraged to demand the ri…

1790-August-26: In a confidential letter to William Short, Thomas Jefferson suggested that the French colonial deputies should be encouraged to demand the right to receive “the necessities of life from the cheapest source.” Jefferson intended to use the American debt to France as a bargaining chip, hinting that favorable trade arrangements in the colonies would make the United States more willing to accelerate its debt payments. He explicitly stated that while the United States sought no territorial conquests, its “sensations” regarding commerce were extremely strong. This strategy was designed to exploit the growing “ill humor” of the Saint-Domingue enslavers toward French trade restrictions. Jefferson’s maneuvers showed a calculated effort to use the internal instability of the French Empire to secure permanent economic advantages for American merchants.