Chapter 12 History

pursue

to follow, as in a goal or purpose

liberated

to free

signifies

to mean or represent

cease

to stop doing something

blockade

a closing off of an area to keep people or supplies from going in or out

embargo

a government order that forbids trade with another country

Describe the foreign policy actions of John Adams. Did he get involved in world affairs enough, too much, or did he make the right decisions.

President Adams's Dilemma During the presidency of John Adams, France attacked U.S. ships. Adams followed Washington's policy of isolationism and kept the United States at peace by securing a treaty with France. In the treaty signed in 1794, known as the Jay Treaty, the British finally agreed to pull their troops from the Ohio Valley. In July 1796, the French navy began attacking U.S. merchant ships bound for Great Britain. The XYZ Affair . French foreign minister Talleyrand refused to speak to the Americans. Instead, they were met by secret agents, later identified only as X, Y, and Z. The agents said that no peace talks would be held unless Talleyrand received a large sum of money as a tribute. A tribute is money given to someone in exchange for that person's protection. Shocked by the request, the American envoys refused.Congress authorized U.S. warships and privately owned ships, called privateers, to launch a "half war" on the seas. During this undeclared war, American ships captured more than 80 armed French vessels. As war fever mounted, President Adams, never a well-loved leader, found himself unexpectedly popular. His Federalist Party gained support in all parts of the country. The question facing Adams was whether the popular thing—waging an undeclared war on France—was also the best thing for the country. Choosing the olive branch cost Adams political popularity. His pursuit of peace with France created strong disagreements within the Federalist Party. These disagreements lost Adams and the Federalists votes when he ran for reelection in 1800.

Monroe Doctrine

President James Monroe's declaration in 1823 that the Western Hemisphere was no longer open to European colonization

Describe the foreign policy actions of Thomas Jefferson. Did he get involved in world affairs enough, too much, or did he make the right decisions.

President Jefferson's Dilemma President Thomas Jefferson also faced threats at sea. When peace talks failed, he passed the Embargo Act of 1807. It, too, was unsuccessful. In 1803, France and Great Britain were again at war. Still, like Washington and Adams before him, Jefferson tried to follow a policy of neutrality. . It became even harder when Great Britain began impressing American sailors—kidnapping them and forcing them to serve in the British navy.American anger over impressment peaked in 1807 after a British warship, the Leopard, stopped a U.S. warship, the Chesapeake, to search for deserters. When the Chesapeake's captain refused to allow a search, the Leopard opened fire. Twenty-one American sailors were killed or wounded. This attack triggered another case of war fever, this time against Great Britain.Piracy American ships faced a different threat from the Barbary States of North Africa: piracy, or robbery at sea.s.Presidents Washington and Adams both paid tribute to Barbary State rulers in exchange for the safety of American ships. he ruler of Tripoli, however, demanded still more tribute. To show that he was serious, he declared war on the United States.Tripoli agreed to stop demanding tribute payments. In return, the United States paid a $60,000 ransom for the crew of the Philadelphia.Meanwhile, Jefferson tried desperately to convince both France and Great Britain to leave American ships alone.When diplomacy failed, Jefferson proposed an embargo—a complete halt in trade with other nations. Under the Embargo Act passed by Congress in 1807, no foreign ships could enter U.S. ports and no American ships could leave, except to trade at other U.S. ports. Jefferson hoped that stopping trade would prove so painful to France and Great Britain that they would agree to leave American ships alone. The embargo, however, proved far more painful to Americans than to anyone in Europe. Some 55,000 sailors lost their jobs. In New England, newspapers pointed out that embargo spelled backward reads "O grab me," which made sense to all who were feeling its pinch. Congress repealed the unpopular Embargo Act in 1809. American ships returned to the seas, and French and British warships continued to attack them

Describe the foreign policy actions of James Madison. Did he get involved in world affairs enough, too much, or did he make the right decisions.

President Madison's Dilemma President James Madison offered a trade deal to both France and Great Britain, but the attacks at sea continued. He offered France and Great Britain a deal: if you agree to cease your attacks on American ships, the United States will stop trading with your enemy. Madison, who desperately wanted to believe Napoleon's false promise, cut off all trade with Great Britain. Meanwhile, the British continued seizing ships and impressing American sailors. Trouble with the Indians was growing as settlers moved into the Ohio and Mississippi valleys and pushed Indians off their lands- Indians fought back with British Guns. Americans were outraged. Several young congressmen from the South and West, including Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, were so eager for war with Great Britain that they were nicknamed "War Hawks.". Still, Madison hesitated. Was the nation strong enough to launch the arrows of war? Or should he hold tightly to the olive branch of peace? MAdison finally abandoned isolationism and declared war on Great Britain. James Madison chose to abandon isolationism. At his request, Congress declared war on Great Britain on July 17, 1812.The War of 1812 ended in a peace treaty with Great Britain. Although both sides claimed victory, neither Great Britain nor the United States really won the War of 1812. The Treaty of Ghent settled none of the issues that had led to the fighting. Instead, the problems of impressment and ship seizures faded away as peace settled over Europe. Still, the war had important effects.First, Indian resistance in the Northwest Territory weakened after Tecumseh's death.Second, national pride in the United States surged.Third, the war had political effects. The Federalists were badly damaged by their opposition to the war, and their party never recovered.

Describe the foreign policy actions of James Monroe. Did he get involved in world affairs enough, too much, or did he make the right decisions.

President Monroe's Dilemma President James Monroe, in support of the new Latin American states, issued a policy called the Monroe Doctrine. In it, he warned European nations to respect the newly independent colonies. The Monroe Doctrine established the United States as a strong nation, willing to stand up for its own freedom and that of its neighbors. In 1823, Monroe made a speech to Congress announcing a policy that became known as the Monroe Doctrine. Monroe stated that the nations of North and South America were "free and independent" and were "not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers." Europeans denounced Monroe's message as arrogant. By what right, asked a French newspaper, did the United States presume to tell the other nations of the world what they could do in North and South America? Americans, however, cheered Monroe's message. It made them proud to see the United States stand up for the freedom-loving people of Latin America. In the years ahead, the Monroe Doctrine joined isolationism as a basic principle of U.S. foreign policy.By its very boldness, the Monroe Doctrine told the world that the United States was no longer a weak collection of quarreling states. It had become a strong and confident nation—a nation to be respected by the world.

Describe the foreign policy actions of George Washington. Did he get involved in world affairs enough, too much, or did he make the right decisions.

President Washington Creates a Foreign Policy The first U.S. president knew that the young nation was unprepared for war. George Washington established a policy of isolationism to avoid alliances with other countries, which could draw the country into wars abroad. The war between France and Great Britain presented President Washington with the difficult problem of deciding which side to take.

isolationism

a policy of avoiding political or military agreements with other countries

neutrality

a policy of not choosing sides in a dispute or war between other countries