1802-February-01: A diplomatic crisis arose when Magloire Pélage, the rebel leader of Guadeloupe, sent an envoy named De Nord to the United States to seek an…

1802-February-01: A diplomatic crisis arose when Magloire Pélage, the rebel leader of Guadeloupe, sent an envoy named De Nord to the United States to seek an increase in American commerce. Pichon immediately pressured Madison to issue a formal statement recognizing the “full and entire sovereignty of France over her colonies.” Madison delivered a sharp “rebuff” by refusing to order a complete cessation of trade with the rebellious island, which greatly irritated the French diplomat. This refusal was not necessarily a sign of support for Pélage, but rather a defense of the principle of American commercial rights during foreign civil disturbances. The incident served as a precursor to the even more complex diplomatic maneuvers that would follow the arrival of the French fleet in Saint-Domingue later that year.