The 1871 Treaty of Washington resolved Anglo-American disputes over the Alabama Claims and established international arbitration as a precedent for peacefully settling state conflicts.
Key Facts
- Signed
- 1871
- British settlement payment
- $15.5 million (~$416.56 million in 2025)
- Arbitration decision
- 1872, endorsing the American position
- UK Prime Minister
- William Gladstone (first premiership)
- US President
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Key dispute resolved
- Alabama Claims for British-built warships damaging US shipping
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During and after the American Civil War, British-built warships such as the CSS Alabama inflicted significant damage on American merchant shipping. Additional grievances included American fishing in Canadian waters and British civilian losses during the war, creating sustained diplomatic tension between the United States and the United Kingdom.
In 1871, the United Kingdom and the United States signed the Treaty of Washington during Gladstone's first premiership and Grant's presidency. The treaty addressed the Alabama Claims, illegal fishing disputes, and British civilian losses from the Civil War, submitting the main financial claims to international arbitration.
Arbitrators ruled in favor of the United States in 1872, leading Britain to pay $15.5 million in settlement. The treaty restored friendly Anglo-American relations and inaugurated enduring peaceful relations between the United States and Canada. The arbitration process established a significant precedent and stimulated interest in codifying public international law.
Political Outcome
Britain paid the United States $15.5 million to settle the Alabama Claims; peaceful Anglo-American and US-Canadian relations were established and international arbitration was set as a precedent.