The Alabama Claims were a series of demands for damages made by the United States against Great Britain after the American Civil War. These claims arose from the actions of the CSS Alabama, a Confederate warship built in Britain that attacked Union merchant ships. The U.S. government sought compensation for the losses incurred by its shipping industry due to these attacks. The claims were settled in 1872 through an international arbitration process in Geneva, Switzerland. The tribunal ruled in favor of the United States, and Great Britain agreed to pay $15.5 million in damages. This resolution helped improve diplomatic relations between the two nations.