American Foreign Policy
1789-1920
A Brief Overview
Clickers to Ch. 48!
Lecture Goals:
Understand and analyze major themes
and events of U.S. foreign policy 1789
to 1920.
Compare and contrast U.S. foreign
policy during various periods
Evaluate the most effective foreign
policy goals and actions for the U.S.
What is Foreign Policy?
A country’s relationship with other
countries
USS Chesapeake
Naval Act of 1794
Captured War of 1812
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Chesapeake_%281799%29
What determines U.S.
Foreign Policy?
National interest
Democratic ideals
Defense Department
(originally War Dept)
vs. State Department
Thomas Jefferson,
Secretary of State 1789
http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/cliffkule/2008/images/1119_clip_image001.jpg
• How
active should America
be in world affairs?
Isolationism
Focus on domestic rather than
international affairs
Internationalism
Assume an active role in international
affairs
Isolationist or Internationalist?
Isolationist: Our National Interest (for Trade?)
Internationalist: Universalist – Interests/rights
of others vs. What’s best for USA
A girl performs domestic labour in a rural Mauritanian
encampment. The International Labour Organization
estimates there are at least 10 million working children in
Africa alone.
http://www.un.org/en/rights/
YOUR VIEW: What path should
the U.S. follow in foreign affairs
today ? Why?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Totally isolationist
Mostly isolationist
Mostly internationalist
Totally internationalist
An Endless Argument:
Should American policy be based on
our own national interests (protecting
our independence, borders, security,
power and interests in peace) or should
we take the “high road” and base our
policies on moral principles (human
rights, democracy, freedom) that could
serve as a model for others?
Preserve independence and integrity
Security for nation and citizens
Prosperity for nation and citizens
Revenge or prestige?
Protection/expansion of ideals or ideas?
http://www.coldwar.hu/html/en/finding_aids/flags/Flag_USSR.jpg
http://a.media.community.abcfamily.go.com/images/american-flag-1%5B1%5D.jpg
Foreign Policy Goals
YOUR VIEW: Which goal should
have been the focus of the U.S. in the
early years of our country? Why?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Preserve independence
Maintain security for the nation
Seek prosperity for the nation
Seek revenge or prestige
Spread ideals or ideas
Factors that influence Foreign Policy
Geography
Military needs/power
Economic needs/power
Ethnic/cultural ties
History
DISCUSS:
How do these impact the USA?
Factors change over time – WHY?
PHASES OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
1. ISOLATIONISM (1789 – 1890s)
Nonentanglement
2. CONTINENTAL EXPANSION (1830 – 1890)
Manifest Destiny
3. IMPERIALISM (1890s to ….)
Expanding U.S. Power, Land, Values
around the world
French Alliance of 1778
Two treaties- commercial agreement and a
political/military alliance
We needed France to win our independence
1789 French Revolution
Aggressive & radical policies
England goes to war with France
Should USA defend France?
Jefferson (good faith), Hamilton (no
obligation), and Washington’s (neutral)
positions
Washington’s Farewell Address
Established concept of
isolation (dominant US
foreign policy until 20th C):
“Good faith and justice
toward all nations”
“Steer clear of permanent
alliances with any portion
of the foreign world”
http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/president_george_washington1.jpg
YOUR VIEW: In 1796, would you
have agreed with Washington?
Why or why not?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Completely disagree
Mostly disagree
Mostly agree
Completely agree
Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address
“kindly separated by nature
and a wide ocean from the
exterminating havoc of one
quarter of the globe”
Jefferson expanded upon
Washington’s warning
against “permanent
alliances” to include
“entangling alliances” and
reinforced the principle of
non-involvement in
European wars.
Thomas Jefferson
Some Key Early Decisions
Jay’s Treaty (1794)
Pinckney Treaty
(1795)
XYZ Affair (1797)
Louisiana Purchase
(1803)
Embargo & NonIntercourse Acts
(1807)
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/texas/pictures/louisiana-purchase-map.jpg
War of 1812
Illustrated the nation’s
willingness to violate the
policy of neutrality when
it became advantageous
to do so.
Demonstrated the
difficulty of noninvolvement when trade
and neighbors bring us
into contact with
European powers.
After the War of 1812
Treaty of Ghent (1815)
Ends War with Britain
Rush-Bagot Treaty (1817)
US-Britain Naval compromise on Great Lakes
Adams-Onis Treaty (1819)
Agreement with Spain expands US to Pacific
http://memyselfandhi.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/war1812.gif
John Quincy Adams: Secretary of
State to James Monroe 1817-1825
Very successful
Clear vision of U.S.
policy
Philosophy: National
interests should
determine foreign
policy
http://haysvillelibrary.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/john-quincy-adams-2.jpg
John Quincy Adams: Accomplishments
Adams-Onis Treaty
gives Florida
(strategic
importance) to US,
eliminated Spain
from contention for
Oregon Territory
Architect of Monroe
Doctrine
Adams’ Vision:
expansion of US to
the Pacific, pursuit
of good relations
with newly
independent nations
in Latin America
The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
Stressed America’s special interests in
the Western Hemisphere and remains,
with some modifications, viable today.
In response to fears that European
powers including Britain might expand
its influence into the Western
Hemisphere.
KEY GUIDING STRATEGY
OF ISOLATIONISM:
No permanent friends, only
permanent objectives
Trends Over Time 1789-1824
Tendency toward isolation
Creation of more secure borders, & push West
Navigation of waterways (Mississippi and later
seas)
Increased respect from foreign nations
Increased boldness of some American policymakers
Links with newly established Latin American
nations
YOUR VIEW: From 1789-1824,
which goal did the U.S. put first?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Preserve independence
Maintain security for the nation
Seek prosperity for the nation
Seek revenge or prestige
Spread ideals or ideas
Westward Expansion evolves
into Manifest Destiny
Movement of the
“frontier line” from the
Fall line in the Piedmont,
to the Appalacians
(Proclamation of 1763),
to the Mississippi River
is followed by the call for
Continental Expansion
as our Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny
“And that claim is by right of our manifest
destiny to overspread and possess the
whole of the continent which providence
has given us for the development of the
great experiment of liberty and
federated self-government entrusted to
us… The God of nature and of nations
has marked it for our own…”
John L. Sullivan, Dec. 1845
John L. Sullivan
Discuss: What feelings & values are conveyed?
American Progress by Jonathan Gast, 1872
Westward Expansion &
Foreign Policy 1783-1853
Original U.S. +
Northwest Territory
(1783 GB)
Louisiana Purchase
(1803, FR)
British Cession
(1818 Rush-Bagot
Treaty)
Spanish Cession
(1819, FL- from SP)
Texas Annexation
(1845)
Oregon Country
(1846 BR)
Mexican Cession
(1848 Mex War)
Gadsden Purchase
(1853 Mex)
American Indian Policy
Expansion has implications for
American Indians
Resist, co-exist, migrate
Treaty of Greenville (1795) NW Terr.
Jefferson- Trans-Mississippi “reserve”
Jackson- Indian Removal Act 1830
Major Indian Wars 1810s-1830s
Old Northwest Territory (Tecumseh,
The Prophet, the Fox, etc)
The Creeks (Alabama, Florida, Western
Tennessee
Seminole- in Florida
Mexican American War (1846-1848)
James K. Polk and Manifest Destiny
Was this war consistent with previous
US foreign policy?
Who supported War with Mexico?
Henry Thoreau and Civil Disobedience
(jailed because he refused to pay a
federal taxes which he believed paid for
an unjust war)
Aftermath of the Mexican
American War for Indians
Continual Warfare on Great Plains &
West
1870’s movement to Reservations
Battle of Little Big Horn (1876) - one of
the few Indian “victories”
The Massacre at Wounded Knee 1890one of the last of many brutal defeats
Dawes Severalty Act, 1887
Northern Boundary Extends:
Warhawks in 1812
Rush-Bagot Treaty 1817
Convention of 1818
 Caroline Affair 1837-8
Aroostook War 1839
Webster-Ashburton Treaty, 1842
Buchanan-Pakenham Treaty, 1846
Alaska Purchase and Seward, 1867
YOUR VIEW: From 1830 to 1890
(Manifest Destiny), which goal did
the U.S. put first? Explain.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Preserve independence
Maintain security for the nation
Seek prosperity for the nation
Seek revenge or prestige
Spread ideals or ideas
Late 19th Century Imperialism:
The USA Enters the World Stage
Economic motivations: new markets, new
resources
Ideas about racial supremacy driven by Social
Darwinism
Manifest Destiny-extended (Frontier over 1890)
Military considerations (strategic, defensive)
Alfred Mahan & “The New Navy”
US exceptionalism (1st “crusade” for the U.S.)
Early Non-Contiguous Expansion
Offer to purchase Cuba from Spain in
1848 and 1854
Alaska 1867
Pago-Pago, Samoa 1878
Pearl Harbor 1884
Hawaii 1898
1896 Republican Party Platform
Strong imperialist platform
Economic expansion guides position
Overseas expansion good for US
industry
“sympathy for Cuba”
Nicaraguan Canal and purchase of
Danish West Indies
Annexation of Hawaii
Queen Liliuokalani
Spanish American War 1898-1900
Cuba (for “freedom”?)
“Maine” incident, yellow journalism,
jingoism & war fever
Rough Riders & Theodore Roosevelt
US acquires Philippines, Puerto Rico,
Guam
McKinley, T. Roosevelt & Taft
McKinley: Open Door Policy, S-A War
Roosevelt: Panama Canal, Roosevelt
Corollary to Monroe Doctrine, “Walk
Softly and Carry a Big Stick”
Taft: Dollar Diplomacy (private funds
to pursue diplomatic goals)
Pre-WWI Imperialism Focal Points
Philippine Revolution
Cuba (Platt Amend)
Latin American
interventions
(numerous)
Balancing Japan’s
growing dominance
in Asia with USJapanese economic
ties
Panama Canal
Open Door: getting
a toehold in China
trade
WWI: From Neutrality to Versailles
Traditional neutrality
Challenges to neutrality:
u-boats, US business loans,
munitions trade, propaganda, RMS Lusitania
some pro-war advocates (ex: TR)
Wilson’s 1916 Pledge: To keep us out of war
Wilson’s 1917 statement to “make the world
safe for democracy”. (2nd “crusade” for the
US)
Wilson’s 14 Points & Versailles
Treaty & the “Lessons of War”
14 Points largely disregarded
Fight for Ratification of the Treaty
Henry Cabot Lodge and American
Isolationists prevail-reject League of Nations
US returns to its “isolationist” position vis a
vis Europe
“Lessons” of WWI, Red Scare & Peace
Movement
YOUR VIEW: From 1890 to 1920,
which goal did the U.S. put first?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Preserve independence
Maintain security for the nation
Seek prosperity for the nation
Seek revenge or prestige
Spread ideals or ideas
DISCUSS: Can our national interest be
in doing what is right for others?
Peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti
(MINUSTAH) load the injured onto a helicopter after the
Jan 2010 devastating earthquake in Haiti. (UN
Photo/Logan Abassi)
http://www.un.org/en/rights/
Always consider:
What are our motives?
What are our goals?
What are the likely outcomes?
*Short and Long Term*
YOUR VIEW: Which goal should be
most important today? Why?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Preserve independence
Maintain security for the nation
Seek prosperity for the nation
Seek revenge or prestige
Spread ideals or ideas
Sources:
American Foreign Policy by Leonard James
American Foreign Policy by Thomas Fitzgerald
American Foreign Policy.ppt by Joyce Williams & Justin Hill, RCPS
(h t t p://sp.rpcs.org/faculty/HillJ/ AP US History/
American Foreign Foreign Policy.pdf