foreign policy

Question 1

washington’s opinion in political parties

Answer 1

‘you possess the work of joint counsels and joint efforts of common dangers, sufferings and successes’

Question 2

impact of the french revolution

Answer 2

federalists interpreted events in france as confirming their fears that popular government could easily generate into mob rule

republicans sympathised with the revolutionaries - thomas jefferson - ‘the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants’

france’s declaration of war on britain in 1793 exacerbated the conflict of opinion - raised the question of american obligations to france

1778 treaty of amity and commerce - amercia remained an ally of france, obligated to defend french possessions in the west indies

hamilton argued the alliance was invalid

british imports were the chief source of tariff revenue - 75% of american trade was with britain and 90% of its imports came from britain

jefferson supported france but didn’t want war, he believed that the usa should proclaim neutrality but should delay in abandoning the 1778 treaty, using it as a bargaining tool with britain

Question 3

citizen genet

Answer 3

landed in charleston 1793 and immediately organised a jacobin club - met with great democratic-republican fanfare.

his goals in south carolina were to recruit and arm american privateers to join french expeditions against the british in the west indies

commissioned four privateering ships and organized american volunteers to fight britain’s spanish allies in florida.

then genet travelled to philadelphia to meet washington and formally request an official suspension of washington’s proclamation of neutrality. angered by genet’s audacity in recruiting privateers in blatant violation of american neutrality, washington confronted genet in the presidential mansion in philadelphia.

request was turned down, he was also informed that his actions were unacceptable. protested and continued to direct his privateers to capture british ships, threatening the united states’ position in the war between france and britain.

refused to cease his activities, challenging washington’s executive authority and blatantly disregarding official american policy - spurred britain to instruct its naval commanders in the west indies to seize all ships trading with the french. british captured hundreds of american ships and their cargoes, increasing the possibility of war between the two countries.

affair came to an end when the jacobins, sent an arrest notice to washington that demanded that genet return to france

Question 4

jay’s treaty

Answer 4

november 1794

britain promised to evacuate north american forts by 1796

britain agreed to submit american claims for compensation for ship seizure to arbitration

britain granted american commerce limited access to west indies

jay agreed to refer the pre revolutionary debts and north east boundary questions to mixed commissions

britain gained most favoured trading nation treatment in american commerce

jay promised that french privateers would not be outfitted in american ports

caused uproar in usa - republicans denounced the agreement as a base surrender and a pact with the british devil

Question 5

pickney’s treaty/ treaty of san lorenzo/ treaty of madrid

Answer 5

october 1795

spain granted usa free use of the mississippi and the right to deposit goods in new orleans

accepted the american claim to the 32st parallel as the florida boundary

promised to restrain native americans from attacking frontier settlements

ended a decade of spanish intrigue

Question 6

native american policy

Answer 6

washington supported a policy designed to create several sovereign native american homelands - envisioned that native americans occupants of these areas would gradually become assimilated as fully fledged american citizens

1790 treaty of new york - negotioated with creek tribe leader alexander mc gillivray. this restored some of the lands ceded in treaties with georgia and provided generous payments for the rest of the land

washington issued a proclamation forbidding private or state encroachments on all native american lands guaranteed by treaty with the usa

georgia state legislature defied the proclamation by selling more than 15 million acres on its western border to speculators calling themselves the yazoo companies

in the north, white settler colonists moved onto native american lands