 The Neutrality Act of 1818 provided the arming of a vessel with the intention that it be employed against a people at peace with the United States . In United States v. Quincy ( 1832 ) , the Court decided several questions concerning the interpretation of the Neutrality Act . First , the Court held that the elements of the offense did not require that the vessel be fitted out within the United States , but rather than an intention to fit the vessel out in an intermediary port was sufficient . Second , the Court held that a conditional intention ( for example , an intention to so arm the vessel only if sufficient funds could be obtained ) was insufficient to satisfy the elements of the offense . Third , the Court held that , if the defendant had a fixed intention to so arm the vessel upon leaving the United States , the frustration of that intention at the intermediate port was irrelevant . Fourth , the Court refused to distinguish between the statutory term of " people " and the concept of a " state . " 
