Use the excerpt to answer the question.
When Adams became President, the war between the French and British was causing great difficulties for the United States on the high seas and intense partisanship [taking of sides] among contending factions within the Nation.
His administration focused on France, where the Directory, the ruling group, had refused to receive the American envoy and had suspended commercial relations.
Adams sent three commissioners to France, but in the spring of 1798 word arrived that the French Foreign Minister Talleyrand and the Directory had refused to negotiate with them unless they would first pay a substantial bribe. Adams reported the insult to Congress, and the Senate printed the correspondence, in which the Frenchmen were referred to only as "X, Y, and Z."…
President Adams did not call for a declaration of war, but hostilities began at sea. At first, American shipping was almost defenseless against French privateers, but by 1800 armed merchantmen and U.S. warships were clearing the sea-lanes. —WhiteHouse.gov
Question
Based on the information in the excerpt, what can be inferred about the effect the war between France and England had on the United States?
(1 point)
Responses
The disagreements between political parties on issues relating to the war led to the inability of Congress to function.
The disagreements between political parties on issues relating to the war led to the inability of Congress to function.
The attacks on American shipping vessels led to a build-up of an American naval force.
The attacks on American shipping vessels led to a build-up of an American naval force.
The refusal to pay the bribe resulted in a suspension in French trade that deeply altered the American economy.
The refusal to pay the bribe resulted in a suspension in French trade that deeply altered the American economy.
The unwillingness of the French to negotiate brought about a long period of distrust of the French Directory.
The unwillingness of the French to negotiate brought about a long period of distrust of the French Directory.
Skip to navigation
The attacks on American shipping vessels led to a build-up of an American naval force.
Based on the information in the excerpt, the attacks on American shipping vessels by French privateers led to a build-up of an American naval force.
To answer the question, we need to analyze the information provided in the excerpt. According to the excerpt, when Adams became President, the war between France and Britain was causing difficulties for the United States on the high seas and intense partisanship among factions within the nation. Adams then sent commissioners to France to negotiate, but the French Foreign Minister and the Directory refused to negotiate with them unless they paid a bribe. Adams reported this insult to Congress, and hostilities began at sea. Initially, American ships were defenseless against French privateers, but by 1800, armed merchantmen and U.S. warships were clearing the sea-lanes.
Based on this information, it can be inferred that the attacks on American shipping vessels by French privateers led to a build-up of an American naval force. The excerpt mentions how initially the American shipping was defenseless against the attacks, but later armed merchantmen and U.S. warships were able to clear the sea-lanes. This suggests that the United States responded to the attacks by strengthening its naval presence.
Therefore, the answer to the question is:
The attacks on American shipping vessels led to a build-up of an American naval force.