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The American Revolution
During the American Revolution, the colonies goal was to overthrow the British monarchy controling the colonies and gain independence. After the war, the United States main focus was to maintain their independence from powerful European countries. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Within Washingtons Farewell address, washington argues for a careful foreign policy of friendly nuetrality that will avoid creating many enemies and no permanant friendships that would entangle the US in unnessesary alliances. Wahinton said that excessive foreign affairs will eventually lead to unnessesary wars and unwise treaty concessions -
Barbary Wars
The foreign policy that was derived from the Barbary Wars was Thomas Jeffersons War with the Barbary Pirates. Western Nations were required to pay bribes to the Barbary states to keep them from threatening American and merchant ships. Jefferson sent warships after the Barbary states rasied their demands. After the war, Jefferson wanted a way to protect America from future threats by establishing a strong and dependable navy. -
Embargo Act
The Act of 1807 was an embargo that prevented any US ships from leaving US ports for foreign ports without the approval of the federal government. This Act was supported by Thomas Jefferson and enacted by Congress. The United States wanted to stay nuetral during the Nepoleonic Wars because neither Britain or France wanted each other to have American Supplies. -
War of 1812
America wanted to stay out of the conflicts betweens Britain and France. Britian and France wanted to cut off trade from teh United States from each other. This actuall resulted in conflict between Britian and the US. teh war eventually ended with the ratification of the Peace treaty Ghent. -
Monroe Doctrine
The purpose of the Monroe Doctrine was to warn European countries about entering the United States. The Doctrine said that "further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention." This is significant because it was a warning by the US telling other countries to stay out. -
U.S. Mexican War
When Polk was is office, America had its sights on further expanding its territory in North America and expand its boarders more westward. Tension grew between Mexico and the US due to a disagreement about boarders. The United States can out of the war victorious and had gained most of New Mexico, California, Texas, and Arizona. -
Manifest Destiny
The Manifest Destiny was a doctine made in the 19th century that said that the expansion of the United States was justified and that it is destined to happen. The significance of this is that America said that they are going to expand regardless of who lives there. -
Annexation of Hawaii
Hawaiis main goal in the 1800s was to keep European powers out. The United States became close with Hawii because America was buying lots of sugar due to the Sugar Trade. However, when Hawaii economy statted to fall apart, sugar planters wanted to team up with Ameria and overthrow the queens rule. When Cleveland was inaugrated as president, Hawaii because a territory of the United States. This is significant because the US can protect Hawaii from Foreign countries. Hawaii became a state in 1959. -
Spanish-American-Cuban War
Spain and the United States began to fight with each other about Cuba declaring Independence from Spain. The United States helped Cuba to fight of any Spanish troops so that Spain could not keep control of Cuba. After the war, Spain gave up cuba, and cuba became independent. Spain also ceded Guam, Phillipines, and Purto Rico over to the US. -
The Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary was an Addition to the Monroe Doctrine that said that the United States will protect Latin America from any european intervention. This is significant because this will keep European nations out of the Americas -
WWI
World war 1 was a war that led to the world involvement. Nations such as United States, Italy, France, Britian, and Russia fought against Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. When the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated, Germany got upset and started the war. -
Isolationism
Isolationism was introduced in the US in the 1930's and it is a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries. During the heat of the Great Depression, Woodrow Wilson thought that it would be a good idea to stay out of European and Asian conflicts. -
WWII
When world war 1 was ended by the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to take full responsibility for starting the war and had to give up alot of they land that they had previously acquired. WW2 was started when Chancellor Adolf Hitler came into power and started another war to make Germany powerful once again. -
Truman Doctorine
The Truman Doctrine was a Speech given by President Harry S. Truman about staying out of Communism. In this speech, Truman is trying to convince Greece and Turkey not to fall to communism. The US Promised to help The Greeks and the Turks if they do not fall to communism. -
The Marshall Plan
Marshall plan was a European Recovery Plan by American that would aid Western Europe. The United States gave $13 billion in economic support to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War 1. This is significant because it strengthened the relationship between the US and European countries. -
The Cold War
The Cold War was a war between the United Sates and the Soviet Union that started shortly after the end of WW2. The United States ere supporters of "containment" which meant that they were tring to keep comminism in the Soviet Union and not allow any addition spread. -
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam war increased caution about involvement in foreign affairs. After Vietnam, Americans were more careful about getting involved with other countries problems. The defeat in Vietnam hurt Americas reputation. -
Detente
Detente refers to a time in the 1970's during the cold war when Nixon made many trips to the Soviet Union to try to mollify the tension between the two countries. Nixon visited the secretary-general of the Soviet Communist party, Leonid I. Brezhnev, in Moscow and signed seven agreements that would prevent any accidental military clashes. -
Carters Emphasis on Foreign Policy
Carter believed that the nation’s foreign policy should reflect its highest moral principles. Carter resused to continue to allow the United States to ignore civil rights. -
Engagement
Engagement was a policy implemented during the Clinton administration that the United States would remain actively invliolved involed in foreign Affairs. Clinton wanted the United States too not retreat to isolationism as it did during WW1, but negotiate and cooperate with other countries rather than create conflict. -
9/11
On September 11th, members of terrorist group, Al-Qaeda high-jacked several airplanes. Two planes flew into the Twin Towers, one into the pentagon and the other was headed for Washington D.C., but crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. This attack immediatly hurt Americans economy and forced an advancement of national security. -
War in Iraq/Afgahanistan/ Global War on Terror
After 9/11 national security took a huge step to try to prevent anything like this from happening again. President Bush sent troops to find and capture those who had been associated with the attack. Years later Bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda was found and shot under the Presidency of Barak Obama. The US then began to withdraw troops from the middle east.
