foreign policy Flashcards
washington’s opinion in political parties
‘you possess the work of joint counsels and joint efforts of common dangers, sufferings and successes’
impact of the french revolution
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
citizen genet
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
jay’s treaty
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
pickney’s treaty/ treaty of san lorenzo/ treaty of madrid
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 31st parallel as the florida boundary
promised to restrain native americans from attacking frontier settlements
ended a decade of spanish intrigue
native american policy
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 mcgillivray. 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
treaty of greenville
1794 - northwest native americans suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of 5000 troops led by general wayne at the battle of fallen timbers
eventually agreed treaty in august 1795, enabling the usa to acquire the rights to ohio and indiana
western land policy
hamilton and jay favoured:
- high land prices which would enrich the treasury
- the sale of large parcels of land to speculators, which was easier and more profitable than the sale of small amounts to actual settler colonists
jefferson and madison reluctantly accepted the need for revenue in order to reduce the national debt
land acts 1796 - congress extended the rectangular surveys ordained in 1785. doubled the price of land to $2 per acre with only a year to complete payment
half the townships would go in 640 acre sections, making the minimum cost $1280 - well beyond the means of most settler colonists
by 1800, government land offices had sold fewer than 50,000 acres under the act
the xyz affair
the french believed that by accepting jay’s treaty, the usa had virtually become britain’s ally. the french government retaliated by:
- refusing to receive the newly appointed american minister, charles pinckney
- ordering the seizure of american ships carrying british cargoes - by june 1797, over 300 merchantmen had been captured
in an attempt to avert war, adams sent a special mission led by charles pinckney to france
greeted by 3 of french foreign minister’s maurice de talleyrand but by 3 of his envoys, with the news that before negotiations begin the usa must pay a bribe of $250,000 and lend france $12 million
americans were outraged and returned home
quasi war
congress abrogated the 1778 treaty of alliance with france, created a navy department, authorised the capture of armed french ships, suspended trade with france, and voted for funds for the expansion of the army and navy
washington was appointed commanding general of the 10,000 strong army, accepting only on condition that hamilton was made second in command
adams resisted a formal declaration of war
between 1798 and 1800, the usa and france fought a limited and undeclared naval war - the infant us navy more than held its own in a series of engagements, capturing more than 80 french privateers
