1804-March-31: Secretary of State James Madison sent a lengthy and significant dispatch to Robert R.

1804-March-31: Secretary of State James Madison sent a lengthy and significant dispatch to Robert R. Livingston in Paris outlining a proposed convention to regulate trade with Haiti. Madison argued that it was in the best interest of France for the United States to continue supplying the island with non-contraband goods to prevent a British commercial monopoly. He noted that under the law of nations, the U.S. was only obligated to leave citizens engaged in “illicit trade” to the consequences of their actions. However, he suggested that if the U.S. voluntarily restricted its trade beyond these requirements, it might demand reciprocal diplomatic support from France in other areas. This dispatch marked a transition toward using Haitian trade as a bargaining chip for American territorial goals in North America.