Naval Act of 1794

E518820

The Naval Act of 1794 was a foundational U.S. law that authorized the construction of the nation’s first frigates, effectively establishing the United States Navy as a permanent military force.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Act to Provide a Naval Armament 1
Naval Act of 1794 canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
naval legislation
alsoKnownAs Act to Provide a Naval Armament
linked to: Naval Act of 1794
appliesTo United States merchant vessels
United States seacoast defense
authorizedConstructionOf USS Chesapeake
USS Congress (1799)
USS Constellation (1797)
USS Constitution
USS President
USS United States
United States Navy frigates
considered foundational law of the United States Navy
context post–American Revolutionary War period
country United States of America
dateEnacted 1794-03-27
enactedBy United States Congress
governmentBranch legislative branch of the United States
hasLanguage English
historicalEra Early national period of the United States
influenced subsequent U.S. naval expansion laws
legalStatus enacted
legislativeBody United States House of Representatives
United States Senate
locationOfEffect Atlantic Ocean
Mediterranean Sea
longTermImpact creation of a standing blue-water navy for the United States
militaryBranchAffected United States Navy
numberOfFrigatesAuthorized 6
officeOfSigner President of the United States
precededBy temporary naval measures of the Continental Congress
purpose to defend United States commerce against the Barbary corsairs
to protect American merchant shipping
to provide a naval armament for the United States
reasonForPassage threats to American shipping by foreign powers and pirates
relatedTo Barbary corsairs
First Barbary War
Quasi-War
United States Navy
resultedIn establishment of a permanent United States Navy
signedBy George Washington
subjectMatter maritime security
military policy
naval defense
yearEnacted 1794

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Naval Act of 1794 alsoKnownAs Act to Provide a Naval Armament
linked to: Naval Act of 1794