President George Washington the 1st president of
the U.S. believed that the U.S. was a better nation if
they restrained from any wars. In deep the U.S. had
no other choice to keep away from wars, especially
when they had a weak army and they had no
money to maintain an active army. The U.S. was in
no condition to face any wars, but this became
difficult especially when the U.S. was surrounded
by other unfriendly nations. For example Canada
was controlled by Britain, and they refused to
abandon The Ohio Valley, which still belonged to the U.S. The U.S. also had
to deal with Spain controlling Florida and Louisiana. Knowing that war was
not an option for the U.S., Washington introduced a policy of neutrality.
Before leaving office Washington made sure he claimed isolationism for the
U.S.
Vocabulary
Neutrality: the state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict,
disagreement, etc.; impartiality.
Isolationism: a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of
other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.
President John Adams: the 2nd president of the U.S.
was in favor of keeping the Unites States under
neutrality. He followed President Washington’s
views of isolationism, however it became difficult to
prevent war. The biggest issue for Adams during his
presidency was the fact that Great Britain was not
leaving the Ohio Valley. To prevent any war the
president sent Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
John Jay to London. Jays job was to settle things with Britain. In 1794, John
Jay and Britain signed a treaty where Britain agreed to leave the Ohio Valley.
This treaty is known as the Jay Treaty. The treaty was a big slap on the face
to France, because they were hoping the British and the U.S. would go to
war. After the signing of the treaty French navy began to attach U.S.
merchant’s ships going to Britain. In response to the French navy attack,
Adams sent three representatives to France to settle the issue with the
French minister Talleyrand. The minister did not want to talk to any
American. Instead the representatives met with some secret agents, these
agents were later known as the X, Y and Z. The secret agents wanted the U.S.
to pay a very large amount of money if the wanted France to end the attacks,
and Adams refused to do so. When the news of the XYZ Affairs reached
American many Americans were very upset. Adams requested 10,000 men
and 12 new ships to attack the French navy. During the small undeclared
was the U.S. captured 80-armed French vessels. The French and U.S. war
ended with a treaty signed by Napoleon and Adams.
Vocabulary
Jay Treaty: In 1794, John Jay and Britain signed a treaty where Britain
agreed to leave the Ohio Valley.
XYZ Affairs: early in the administration of John Adams, involving a
confrontation between the United States and Republican France that led to
an undeclared war called the Quasi-War.
President Thomas Jefferson: In 1803 France and
Great Britain were at war once again and both
nations were taking control of Americans ships
trading with the enemy. Jefferson remained neutral
and refused to join the war. However, when Great
Britain started kidnaping sailors from American
ships Jefferson sent out his own ship to defend
America. Another issue American ships were facing
was piracy or robbery at sea. Pirates were seizing
merchant ships as they entered the Mediterranean
Sea and held the crew for ransom. Both Washington
and Adams knew of pirates and to prevent any kidnaping they paid the
pirates over $2 million. Jefferson refused to pay the pirates, instead he sent
out a small fleet of war ships to attack the pirates. Unfortunately, one of the
ships named the Philadelphia was captured and held for ransom. After a
year of attacks and a blockade North African states signed a deal with the
U.S. They agreed to stop attacking and asking for money. At the same time
Jefferson tried to convince France and Great Britain to stop attacking the
American ships, his diplomatic efforts failed. Finally Jefferson proposed an
embargo. The embargo proposed that no foreign ship could enter U.S. ports
and no American ship could leave, except to trade at other U.S. ports. The
embargo deeply damaged the U.S. economy. 55,000 sailors lost their jobs
and U.S. congress repealed the Embargo Act in 1809.
Vocabulary
Piracy: Robbery at sea
Embargo Act: an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a
particular country.
President James Madison: Madison the 4th president
of the U.S. also tried to prevent any war with France
and Greta Britain. He suggested both countries to
stop fighting and attacking U.S. ships and in return the
U.S. would stop trading with the enemy. This plan of
course backfired, when Great Britain did not agree to
the terms and continued attacking U.S. ships.
Madison’s next plan was to abandon Washington’s
isolationism plan and go to war. Many Americans
were afraid of Madison’s plan, because they knew the
war would mean a blockade of their ports by the British navy. On July 17,
1812 the U.S. declared war on Great Britain. The war became a battle in
both land and sea. The U.S. was eager to gain access to the sea and get
control of Canada. In 1813 the U.S. was able to defeat a British fleet of six
ships, and was able to push into Upper Canada. Unfortunately, Greta Britain
sent 15,000 men to Canada and was able to push the American troops out.
Meanwhile a British army entered Washington D.C. and burned down
several public buildings including the Capital and the White House. The
British also attacked Baltimore, Maryland. On September 13, 1813 an
American lawyer named Francis Scott Key watched as the British burned
down everything in sight. In the morning Key was thrilled to see that the
American flag still waved over the fort, proving that the fort was not
captured. He expressed his feelings in a poem that was later put to music as
“The Star Spangle Banner”. The war ended when General Andrew Jackson
defended New Orleans, and both the U.S. and Britain signed a peace treaty in
Ghent, Belgium.
Vocabulary
Blockade: an act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people
from entering or leaving.
Francis Scott Key: Wrote the Star Spangle Banner after watching the U.S. flag
waving in air.
President James Monroe: President Monroe brought the
U.S. once again to its policy of Isolationism. American was
turning their attention away from Europe, and now they
were looking at Latin Countries. Mexico and Venezuela
were both going through a revolution against Spain. Both
countries were liberated from Spain, through peasant
rebellions. Many Americans were thrilled to know Latin
American countries were freed from Spain, because now
they had the chance to start trading with Latin countries.
Some Europeans countries were not happy about Spain loosing Latin
American countries. They wanted the U.S. to help them prevent Latin
countries from opening their trading doors. Monroe was not sure if he
wanted to help the European countries, so he comes up with the Monroe
Doctrine, which states that North and South America were free and
independent and were not a subject of colonization. Europeans were angry
with President Monroe, and called him arrogant. They felt the U.S. had no
right to tell other countries what to do of the world. However, the doctrine
made the U.S. into a strong nation, it gave way to a powerful and respected
nation.
Vocabulary
Liberated: showing freedom from social conventions or traditional ideas.
Monroe Doctrine: stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize
land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as
acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention.