On August 28 1814, the Massachusetts of island of Nantucket agreed to peace with Great Britain, and in effect seceded from the union. The inhabitants of the small island of Nantucket were facing food shortages as a result of the British blockade. They had been trying to negotiate with the British for most of the summer. Finally, on August 28 delegates from Nantucket met with Admiral Hothman aboard the HMS Superb off the coast of Long Island. In Admiral Hothman’s cabin, they signed an agreement that provided: “The Island of Nantucket is hereby declared Neutral.” Nantucket also agreed not to pay any taxes to the federal or state government. In return, the British agreed that the inhabitants of Nantucket would be allowed to bring food from the mainland.
(For more information, see Nantucket’s Peace Treaty with England in 1814 by Reginald Horsman: The New England Quarterly Vol. 54, No. 2 (Jun., 1981), pp. 180-198.)
(The image above is from here.)
