Foreign Affairs: War, and a Doctrine
US History/Napp Name: ______
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“Through the early years of the American republic, the foreign policies of five presidents were shaped by the following goals: neutrality (giving support to neither side in a foreign war), defense of U.S. rights as a sovereign or independent republic, and support of the people of Latin America in their struggle for freedom from foreign rule. President Washington recognized that the new nation, separated from Europe by the Atlantic Ocean, should not become involved in European conflicts.
The next two presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, adopted Washington’s policy of neutrality. However, during Adams’s presidency, the French navy seized American ships at sea. French diplomats (identified only as X, Y, and Z) demanded bribes for their assistance in stopping the French government’s abuse of U.S. rights. Angered by the XYZ Affair, many Americans called for war. Their slogan was, ‘Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute (bribery).’ Yet Adams avoided an open declaration of war.
During Jefferson’s presidency, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France. To fight Napoleon at sea and cut off supplies to Napoleon’s empire, British warships often stopped and searched U.S. merchant ships, removed cargo, and impressed (forced) American sailors into service in the British navy. To prevent further violation of U.S. rights, Jefferson persuaded Congress to place an embargo (to stop trade) on the shipment of American goods to Europe. But New England merchants and shipbuilders protested bitterly because the embargo badly hurt their business.
The fourth president, James Madison, also attempted to defend U.S. rights at sea without going to war. But an issue arose in the West. As more Americans settled on Native American lands, the Native Americans of the Great Lakes region were persuaded by their leader, Tecumseh, to fight a war against the settlers. Tecumseh’s forces had been supplied by Britain. Congress declared war against Great Britain in 1812. At first, the war went badly for the United States. British forces captured Washington, D.C., and set fire to government buildings, including the Capitol and the White House. A treaty ending the war did not say a word about U.S. neutral rights and did not award any land to either side.
After the War of 1812 (also called the ‘second war for independence’), Great Britain ended its much resented policy of stopping American ships and seizing their cargoes. The United States emerged from the war as a respected member of the community of nations.”
~ Adapted from U.S. History and Government
Questions:
1- What were the foreign policies goals of the first five Presidents of the U.S.? ______
2- Why did President Washington believe the U.S. should not become involved in conflicts in Europe? ______
3- What did the French navy do during Adams’s presidency? ______
4- What was the XYZ affair? ______
5- What slogan did Americans adopt during the XYZ affair? ______
6- What did Napoleon crown himself during Jefferson’s Presidency? ______
7- What happened in Europe when Napoleon came to power in France? ______
8- Why did British warships often stop American ships? ______
9- What did the British do when they stopped American ships? ______
10- Define impressment. ______
11- How did President Jefferson respond to the British stopping American ships? ______
12- Define embargo. ______
13- Why were New Englanders upset by the embargo? ______
14- What did President James Madison attempt to do? ______
15- Who was Tecumseh? ______
16- Why was Tecumseh upset with American settlers? ______
17- What did Tecumseh declare? ______
18- Who did Tecumseh receive military assistance from? ______
19- So, what were the two main causes of the War of 1812? ______
20- What countries fought in the War of 1812? ______
21- What happened to the U.S. Capitol building during the War of 1812? ______
22- How did the War of 1812 end? ______
23- What is another name historians give to the War of 1812? ______
24- What policy did Great Britain end after the War of 1812? ______
25- How was the United States treated by other nations after the War of 1812? ______
26- Why do you think the War of 1812 is called “the Second War for Independence”? ______
Attempts by Spain to restore its authority at the end of the Napoleonic Wars triggered a series of independence movements in the Spanish colonies. The U.S. recognized the independence of these nations, but feared Spain might try to reconquer them.
President Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine (1823).
The Monroe Doctrine had four main points:
1) The United States would not get involved in European affairs.
2) The U.S. would not interfere with existing colonies in the Western Hemisphere.
3) No other nation could form a new colony in the Western Hemisphere.
4) If a European nation tried to control or interfere with a nation in the Western Hemisphere, the United States would view it as a hostile act against this nation.
Questions:
1- What did Americans fear after the success of the Latin American independence movements? ______
2- What doctrine did President James Monroe create? ______
3- What did the U.S. promise to do regarding Europe in the Monroe Doctrine? ______
4- What did the U.S. expect of Europe in the Monroe Doctrine? ______
Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase (1803):
“During Jefferson’s first term, thousands of American farmers had moved west to the lands between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. They used the port of New Orleans at the base of the Mississippi River to export much of their produce.
The Louisiana Territory had been given to Spain by France at the end of the French and Indian War. Americans became alarmed when it was learned that Spain had transferred the area back to France and that Spanish officials left in control of New Orleans had ended the right of American farmers to use the port. Jefferson, fearful of a strong and aggressive France as a neighbor and concerned over conflicts concerning the use of New Orleans sent James Monroe and Robert Livingston to France to try to buy New Orleans. Napoleon, burdened with problems in Europe, decided to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15,000,000.
Problems arose when the strict constructionist Jefferson realized that the Constitution did not authorize Congress to purchase territory. Jefferson was forced to modify his constitutional theories because of the importance of the purchase, and in 1803 the treaty was ratified authorizing the purchase, which nearly doubled the size of the United States.”
~ U.S. History and Government
1- What happened during Jefferson’s first term as President? ______
2- Why was New Orleans important? ______
3- Why did Americans become alarmed? ______
4- What did Jefferson fear? ______
5- What was Jefferson’s solution? ______
1. One result of the purchase of the Louisiana Territory (1803) was that the United States(1) acquired California from Spain
(2) gained control of the port of New Orleans
(3) ended border conflicts with British Canada
(4) annexed Florida
2. A major reason for purchasing the Louisiana Territory (1803) was to
(1) gain access to the Ohio Territory
(2) remove the British from the borders of the United States
(3) secure control of the port of New Orleans
(4) open the Rocky Mountains to miners
3. …Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate [connect] ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes [changes] of her politics or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities [antagonisms]…
~ President George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796
According to the passage, President Washington believed that the United States should
(1) seek financial aid from European nations
(2) end all existing European friendships
(3) avoid involvement in the political disputes of Europe
(4) discontinue commercial relations with
Europe
8. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was a foreign policy success for the United States primarily because it
(1) secured full control of Florida from Spain
(2) ended French control of the Mississippi River
(3) ended British occupation of forts on
American soil
(4) eliminated Russian influence in North
America
9. A primary goal of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to
(1) prevent European intervention in Latin
America
(2) create an opportunity for the annexation of Canada
(3) protect the site of a canal across Central
America
(4) help European nations establish new Western Hemisphere colonies
10. The Louisiana Purchase initially presented a dilemma for President Thomas Jefferson because he believed it would
(1) lead to war with Great Britain
(2) bankrupt the new nation
(3) force Native American Indians off their lands
(4) violate his strict constructionist view of the Constitution
11. President George Washington pursued a foreign policy of neutrality during his administration primarily because he believed that
(1) the United States needed time to gain
economic and military strength
(2) treaties were prohibited by the Constitution
(3) the United States should not expand by force
(4) alliances should be established with both
France and England / 4. The War of 1812 has been called the “Second War for American Independence” primarily because the
(1) British blocked United States access to the port of New Orleans
(2) United States continued to resist taxes
imposed by Great Britain
(3) British government had never fully respected the United States as a free nation
(4) United States and Great Britain had not signed a peace treaty after the Revolutionary War
5. Which geographic area was added to the United States by the Louisiana Purchase?
(1) Appalachian Mountains
(2) Columbia River valley
(3) Great Plains
(4) Piedmont Plateau
6. The main purpose of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to
(1) stake a claim to Mexican territory
(2) limit European influence in the Americas
(3) force the British out of the Oregon Territory
(4) establish full control over Canada
7. The Monroe Doctrine (1823) established the United States foreign policy that
(1) provided foreign aid to developing nations
(2) opposed the creation of new colonies in Latin America
(3) led directly to the Civil War
(4) encouraged expansion into East Asia
12. In his Farewell Address, President George Washington warned against establishing alliances with European countries because he was concerned primarily about
(1) restrictions on trade with Latin America
(2) French colonization of the Caribbean
(3) United States involvement in foreign wars
(4) protection of the western frontier
13. An example of a primary source of information about the War of 1812 would be a
(1) battle plan for the attack on Fort McHenry
(2) historical novel on the Battle of New Orleans
(3) movie on the life of President James Madison
(4) textbook passage on the naval engagements of the war
14. The Monroe Doctrine (1823) was issued
primarily because President James Monroe
(1) wanted to warn European powers against intervention in Latin America
(2) opposed the revolutions taking place in South America
(3) needed to establish a foothold in Panama for a future canal
(4) believed the United States should pursue
overseas colonies
15. “…I know too that it is a maxim [rule] with us, and I think it a wise one, not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of Europe…” ~ Thomas Jefferson, December 21, 1787, Library of Congress
Which document most clearly reflects the advice given in this statement?
(1) Albany Plan of Union
(2) Articles of Confederation
(3) Bill of Rights
(4) Washington’s Farewell Address
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