Chapter 12 Foreign Affairs

Vocabulary  Neutrality – a policy of not choosing sides in a war or dispute between other countries  Isolationism – a policy of avoiding political or military agreements with other countries  Embargo – a government order that stops merchant ships from leaving or entering a country’s ports

Vocabulary  Secretary of State – the head of the state department who oversees matters relating to foreign countries  Doctrine – a statement of official government policy in foreign affairs

Washington Creates Foreign Policy  The nation was surrounded by unfriendly powers  Britain (Canada) to the north & Spain to the south and west

Neutrality  Though the US had signed an alliance with France, Washington had to declare neutrality during the French Revolution, as the US was not prepared to go to war.

Isolationism  Washington’s warning of avoiding alliances became known as isolationism – which would be the new US foreign policy

The Great Seal Olive Branch Arrows

What is Foreign Policy?  Principles that guide the US in future dealings with other nations”

Jay Treaty  When Chief Justice John Jay went to settle things with Britain, and in the meantime, the French saw this as betrayal and began to attack American Ships in retalliation.

XYZ Affair  President Adams sent representatives to France to end the attacks. They were refused by the French Prime Minister saying no peace talks would take place unless they paid money to France.

XYZ Affair (Con’t)  Congress voted to recruit and army of 10,000 and build ships. Americans captured over 80 French vessels in this undeclared war on France. John Adams popularity soared, as well as The Federalist Party.

Federalist Party Success

Was War Good for the US?  Though the Federalist Party was gaining popularity, Adams wondered if unleashing the arrows of war on France was the best thing for the country?

Mission for Peace  Adams stated in 1799 that he was sending a peace mission to France. The Federalist Party was furious!

Napoleon Bonaparte  By the time the mission reached France, Napoleon Bonaparte was in charge of the French government. He was eager to make peace with both the US and Britain.

Assignment Day 1  Complete Worksheet

Bargaining  Bonaparte agreed to end the alliance with France. In return, the US would not ask France to pay for the all the ships they had seized. This burden lied on the government now, but was a small price to pay for peace.

Losing Political Popularity  Choosing the olive branch cost Adams political popularity, and disagreements within the Federalist Party. Adams had no regrets.

Peace Ends Quickly  By 1803, France and Britain were at war again. Both began seizing American ships. This time Jefferson had taken office.

What to do?  Jefferson wanted to continue neutrality, however once Britain began to kidnap American soldiers, it became very difficult.

Piracy  Americans faced a bigger threat. Barbary States were robbing ships at sea and then holding crews for ransom. Both Washington and Adams paid tribute to the states for the safety of American ships on the Mediterranean Sea.

No More Tributes  Jefferson decided that it was not right to pay money to the pirates for safe travels, yet not pay for the XYZ tribute to have peace.

More Tribute  The ruler of Tripoli demanded a higher tribute for the ship’s safety. Jefferson refused and so Tripoli declared war on the US. What was worse – war or paying tribute?

The War  Jefferson decided he hated paying tribute more. In 1802, he sent a small fleet of war ships to protect American shipping. It worked until 1804.

War Continues  An American ship named the “Philadelphia” crashed into a reef. The captain and crew were held for ransom. A naval officer named Decatur raided a Tripoli harbor and set it ablaze.

Peace at Last!  A year after the fire, Tripoli signed a peace treaty to stop asking for tribute payments, and in return, the US paid them $60,000 for the return of the Philadelphia crew.

France and Britain  Jefferson tried to convince France and Britain to leave American ships alone, only to fail. Jefferson then proposed an embargo act – a complete halt in trade with other nations

Embargo Disaster  The Embargo Act hurt Americans way worse than anyone else. Seamen lost their jobs with no trade, and ships rotted at deserted docks.  Congress repealed the act in 1809, and the attacks continued.

Assignment #2  Write a persuasive essay saying whether or not you would have declared war over the tribute payments? Do you agree or disagree with Jefferson? State your reasoning.

Madison Takes Office  James Madison took office in 1809, and decided to try a new approach to protecting ships. He bribed both France and Britain with a deal to stop trading with their enemies if they ceased their attacks.

Deal or No Deal?  France agreed, but Britain refused. Madison wondered if the country would support a war with Britain?

Indian Interference  Southerners and Westerners supported war to expand lands west of the Appalachian Mtns. This meant pushing Indians off their land in the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys.

Native Americans Unite  Two Indians, Tecumseh and Prophet decided they must ban together all Native Americans to stop the settler’s westward march. They built an Indian center called Prophetstown.

William Henry Harrison  Harrison organized a militia of troops to take on the Indians. At dawn on Nov. 7, 1811, Harrison’s troops were shaken from their sleep by Indian war cries. At the end of the day, many were dead and Prophetstown was in ruins.

British Help  Among the ruins were British guns. As suspected, the British forces in Canada were supplying the Native Americans with weapons.

Get Rid of Britain  War Hawks in Congress argued that we needed to drive Britain out of Canada. This would eliminate the Indian threats. Then, Canada could be added to the US. Would Madison agree?

War of 1812  Madison chose to abandon isolationism, and Congress declared war on Britain on July 17, However, the US was very unprepared for war.

War of 1812  Though the Americans did not capture Canada, they did make land west of the Appalachians safe for settlers. Tecumseh died in battle in 1813 in Canada. This eventually lead to Native Americans being driven out of the Ohio Valley.

British Attacks  In Aug. of 1814, Britain invaded Washington, D.C. and burned the city. From there, they turned to Baltimore. On Sept 13, 1814, British warships shelled the Baltimore harbor. An American lawyer, Francis Scott Key, watched the bombardment. His feelings were captured in “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Battle of New Orleans  On Jan. 8, 1815 British troops marched into New Orleans and were met with a deadly fire, killing 2,000+ troops. Gen. Andrew Jackson’s rag tag militia had been successful and Jackson was a hero.

James Monroe  Monroe took office in Attention turned from Europe to Mexico as colonial people were revolting against Spain. A priest named Hildalgo started this revolt.

Cry of Dolores  Hidalgo’s speech inspired a revolution that lasted 10 years. Simon Bolivar and de San Martin led the revolution across the north and south and eventually won their independence from Spain.

Support Latin America  Monroe asked former presidents for advice on New Latin Nations and if the US should support them.

The Monroe Doctrine  In 1823, Monroe made a speech to Congress announcing a new policy against European efforts to control North and South America.

The Monroe Doctrine  Americans cheered Monroe’s message, but Europeans were outraged at America’s audacity. This was created to protect both the current US and the likes of Latin American from British rule.

US Foreign Policty  The Monroe Doctrine made isolationism a key principle in US foreign affairs. America was clear it would not accept interference from Europe. It showed the world that the US was bold, confident nation.