Steven Cheng

Shaping the Foundations of American Foreign Policy

Part A
George Washingtons Proclamation of Neutrality, 1793 Washington warned the country against
getting involved in European affairs to prevent the United States from needing to fight a foreign war.
British seizure of the Delaware, 1794 The British seized the American ship, the Delaware, in 1794
causing tensions in the British-American relationship.
Citizen Genets protest of American Neutrality, 1793 Genet was a French ambassador sent to America
to promote the French cause. Genet commissioned American ships to attack British and Spanish forces,
endangering American neutrality in the European countries. When confronted by Washington and his
cabinet, he refused to stop and only stopped when there was an arrest notice sent for him in 1794.
Washingtons Farewell Address, 1796 During his farewell address, Washington once again emphasized
how permanent alliances with other countries leads to America being involved in unnecessary wars.
XYZ Affair, 1797 The United States sent envoys to France to stop their attacks on American ships, but
the French did not agree to stop the attacks and also wanted money from the Americans. This damaged
the American-French relations.
Spanish cession of Louisiana to France, 1800 This frightened the United States because they believed
the French would try to invade the United States from the Louisiana Territory.
Louisiana Purchase, 1803 Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States in 1803 to fund
his war with Britain. This improved American-French relationships since the Americans were no longer
afraid that the French would invade the United States from Louisiana.
Chesapeake Incident, 1807 The Chesapeake Incident was when a British warship attacked an American
frigate and took one of the American ships crew for trial and hanged one of them. This damaged the
American-British relations.
Napoleons Continental System, 1807 Napoleon blockaded Britain to damage the British economy and
in response the British declared that any country that traded with France would become its enemy. This
stopped a lot of American trade with Britain and France and created problems with neutrality.
Embargo, 1807 The Embargo Act of 1807 put an embargo in place, blocking trade with Britain and
France. This was done because American sailors were being attacked when trading with one country or
the other. This damaged the American economy.
Henry Clay urges war, 1810 Henry Clay wanted war with Britain and played a significant role in leading
the United States to the War of 1812.
President Madisons War Message to Congress, 1812 Madison created a list of British offenses and
sent it to Congress, in an attempt to convince Congress to declare war against Britain.
Hartford Convention, 1814-15 At the Hartford Convention, New England Federalists said that they
were being discriminated against and the increasing power of the federal government was creating
political problems. They wanted to secede from the Union and have a separate peace with Great Britain.
Monroe Doctrine, 1823 The Monroe Doctrine said that any attempt at colonizing or interfering with
North or South America would be considered an act of aggression. It also said that the United States
would remain neutral in European affairs and not engage in an active role in any European war.
Part B
1. Why did the United States involve itself in a war with Britain and not France?
Britain had inflicted more grievances upon Americans compared to the French.
2. Why did Britain, a former enemy, propose a common policy on Latin America?
Britain was weak during this period of time and did not want the rest of Europe to have an
influence in Latin America.
3. How was Washingtons Farewell Address applied in the Monroe Doctrine?
Washingtons farewell address warned of rivalry with European nations and the Monroe
Doctrine stated that the United States would remain neutral in all European affairs to prevent
rivalries with European nations.
4. How does the foreign policy of a nation have an impact on individuals and sections of the
country?
The foreign policy of a nation impacts sections of the country that are based on trade because
those places will not be allowed to trade with enemies of the country. Individuals will be
impacted because the foreign policy of a nation affects taxes and resources.
5. The theme of the modern sovereign state over the last four centuries has been no permanent
friends, only permanent objectives. What were one or two major objectives of United States
foreign policy in the period 1789-1823?
The United States tried to always remain neutral in European affairs during 1789-1823.
6. To what extent is it possible to maintain an isolationist foreign policy in the late twentieth
century?
It is not very possible to maintain an isolationist foreign policy in the late twentieth century
since usually the economy of a nation is based on trade with other nations so an isolationist
foreign policy would result in a very weak economy.