APUSH – SPICONARDI

 The French Revolution had placed the United States in a precarious position
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Give the French revolutionaries assistance?
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France had aided the Patriots during the American Revolution
But aiding revolutionaries could but a major strain on fragile relations with Great Britain.
Remain neutral?
What to do? This is why I compared being elected to the presidency to death row.

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Jefferson sympathized with the
French
The French Revolution is an extension of the ideals of the
American Revolution
Uphold the Franco-American
Alliance of 1778
Vive la revolution
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Understood the necessity of maintaining trade relations with
Britain
Feared the type of violence and radical nature of the French
Revolution
Called for neutrality
To hell with the revolution

 As president, and
Washington sets foreign policy and decided that the
United States would remain neutral
 The young nation was not strong enough to engage in a European war
Whereas it appears that a state of war exists between Austria, Prussia, Sardinia,
Great Britain, and the United
Netherlands of the one part and France on the other, and the duty and interest of the United
States require that they should with sincerity and good faith adopt and pursue a conduct friendly and impartial toward the belligerent powers..

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Jefferson believed that Washington was too old and weak to think for himself.
After previously attempting to resign during Washington’s first term, Jefferson submitted a formal resignation as Secretary of State on December 31, 1793
I am then liberated from the hated occupations of politics and sink into the bosom of my family, my farm, and my books.
Jefferson thinks by this step to get the reputation as an humble, modest, meek man, wholly without ambition or vanity…. But if the prospect opens, the world will see and he will feel that he is as ambitious as Oliver Cromwell.

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Neutrality was not a popular choice
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Americans generally supported the French people
Britain was seizing American merchant ships sailing for French ports
“Citizen” Edmond Genet

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Convinced Americans to attack British ships
Encourage Americans to attack the Spanish in
Florida
Impressing
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Both the British and French seized American ships in the Atlantic
American sailors were impressed
 Impressment  the act of taking men into a navy by force and with or without notice

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Washington sends Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
John Jay to negotiate a treaty with the British to end impressing
After a year of negotiating the treaty made no mention of impressment, but Britain agreed to remove its forts in the west (but didn’t)
Reaction
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Treaty is narrowly ratified by Senate
Treaty angers the (Democratic) Republicans and French
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French increase harassment of American ships
Spanish fear a close relationship between Britain and U.S.
 Leads to Pinckney Treaty (1795), which negotiated navigation rights along the Mississippi River and duty-free access to the Port of New
Orleans

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Read Washington’s Farewell
Address
Summarize each boxed off section
 What is Washington’s key idea?
What are four pieces of advice
Washington gives to the country?
HW: Select one piece of advice and explain to what extent you agree with that advice in a
“power essay.”
 See class website for complete directions