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Procalamation of Neutrality
The Proclamation of Neutrality was established by George Washington with the intentions of isolating the US from the warring British and French. -
XYZ Affair
A series of diplomatic events that included France and America. In the late 1790s President John Adams sent three diplomats to ease tensions with France. In return, French foreign minister, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand deployed agents (designated X, Y and Z by the Americans) to request a bribe of $250,000 for himself and a $12 million loan for France. -
Convention of 1800
The Convention of 1800 ended the Quasi-War between France and the United States. France agreed to return captured American ships, while the United States agreed to compensate its citizens for $20 million worth of damages inflicted by France on American shipping. -
Lousiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase happened in 1803, when the United States purchased approximately 828,000,000 square miles of territory from France, thereby doubling the size of the young republic. What was known as the Louisiana Territory stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west and from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the Canadian border in the north. -
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a law passed by the United State Congress and signed by President Thomas Jefferson on December 22, 1807, that prohibited American ships from trading in all foreign ports. -
War of 1812
In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country’s future. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory. The United States suffered many costly defeats at the hands of British, Canadian and Native American troops over the course of the two year war. -
Treaty of Ghent
On December 24, 1814, The Treaty of Ghent was signed by British and American representatives at Ghent, Belgium, ending the War of 1812. By terms of the treaty, all conquered territory was to be returned, and commissions were planned to settle the boundaries of the United States and Canada. -
Monroe Doctrine
In his annual message to congress. President James Monroe advised European countries not to interfere with the West. He went on to say, " The American continents are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers."
