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The Unites States Growth as a World Power
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The Proclamation of Neutrality
The proclamation was signed on April 22, 1793, in Philadelphia by George Washington. Washington issued the proclamation, warning American citizens to avoid involvement in the hostilities, in a strictly European war. This admonition proved to be a major point of one of Washington's themes in his Farewell Address to the Nation three and a half years later in which he would warn against America's involvement in "permanent alliances." -
The XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War. U.S. and French negotiators restored peace with the Convention of 1800, also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine. -
The 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 damages inflicted by France on American shipping. The Convention ended the alliance between France and the United States that had begun during the Revolution, but the two countries also extended "most-favored" trading status to each other. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million dollars. This purchse was the cause of lewis and Clarks expedition across the unknown territory. -
Embargo Act
The neutrality of the United States was tested during the Napoleonic Wars. Both Britain and France imposed trade restrictions in order to weaken each others' economies. As time went on, harassment by the British of American ships increased. This included impressment and seizures of American men and goods. In the end, Thomas Jefferson chose an economic option: the Embargo Act of 1807. The embargo was an unpopular and costly failure. It ended up devastating the United Sates in comparison to Franc -
The War of 1812
Britain’s defeat at the 1781 Battle of Yorktown marked the conclusion of the American Revolution. Not even three decades after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which formalized Britain’s recognition of the United States of America, the two countries were again in conflict. Resentment for Britain’s interference with American international trade led Congress to declare war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812 -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent, signed on December 24, 1814 in the Flemish city of Ghent, was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The treaty restored relations between the two nations to status quo as it restored the borders of the two countries to the line before the commencement of hostilities -
The Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was articulated in President James Monroe's seventh annual message to Congress on December 2, 1823. The European powers, according to Monroe, were obligated to respect the Western Hemisphere as the United States' sphere of interest.
