Early US Relations with

European Governments

The French Revolution• Most Americans

sympathized at first• Federalists turned

against French revolutionaries when they became too violent

• Democratic-Republicans still supported the fight for liberty

War between Britain and France

• Americans traded with both countries, so a problem

• US bound by Treaty of 1778 to help defend France’s Caribbean colonies, but honoring this could lead to war with England

Proclamation of Neutrality• April, 1793• George Washington

believed the young and weak US could not afford to get involved

• Chose not to honor Treaty of 1778

• Declared US to be “friendly and impartial” to both countries

Problems with Britain• Britain began

intercepting any ships trying to enter French ports

• Hundreds of US ships and their cargoes were seized by the British

• Angered US merchants

Jay’s Treaty (1795)• Washington sent John Jay to

negotiate with the British• US agreed that Britain had

right to seize goods bound for France; Britain agreed to grant US “most favored nation” status and to allow US free trade with British colonies in the Caribbean to boost trade

• Dem-Reps angered by treaty

XYZ Affair (1797)• France retaliated by beginning

to seize US ships bound for England

• Pres. Adams sent three diplomats to negotiate with French

• US delegation was asked by three French agents (X, Y, and Z) to pay bribes and promise loans from the US government in order to meet with French officials; they refused and returned home

“Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!”

The Quasi-War (1798)• Angry Americans began

to call for war with France

• June 1798, Congress suspended trade with France and ordered the navy to capture French ships

• State of undeclared war began to exist

Convention of 1800• France asked to reopen

negotiations• US agreed to give up all

claims against France for damages to US shipping

• France agreed to release US from terms of the Treaty of 1778

• Quasi-War ended

Louisiana Purchase• Spain returned

Louisiana to France in 1800

• 1803: Napoleon agreed to sell territory to US – he needed the money, had trouble in Haiti, and wanted to prevent US alliance with Britain

Another war between Britain and France

• Britain declared all ships headed for Europe needed British licenses and would be subject to search

• France declared that ships obeying British orders would have their goods confiscated by the French government

Impressment• Britain began stopping

US ships to look for British “deserters”

• Often forced crews from US ships to man British naval vessels

• Infuriated American citizens

USS Chesapeake incident• 1807: British ship HMS

Leopard tried to stop the US warship USS Chesapeake

• US ship refused and was fired upon, killing 3 US sailors; Chesapeake surrendered and British impressed 4 crewmen

• Angry Americans called for war

Embargo Act of 1807• Jefferson wanted to avoid

war• Halted all trade between

US and Europe• Hurt US more than Britain

or France• US shipping companies

failed; farmers, who sold most of their crops to Europe, were ruined

• Act repealed in 1809

James Madison• 4th US President (1809-

1817)• Democratic-Republican• Had been Jefferson’s

Secretary of State• Driving force behind the

Federalist Papers, The US Constitution, and The Bill of Rights!

Madison tries economic warfare

• Like presidents before him, Madison wanted to avoid war

• Madison wanted to ban trade with BOTH Britain and France, but Congress instead accepted an offer to renew trade with France

• This hurt British merchants

The War Hawks• Members of Congress

such as John C. Calhoun (SC), and Henry Clay (KY) began to call for war with Britain over the damage British policies were causing to the US economy and over British support of Native American raids

War of 1812• June 1812, US declared war on

Britain• Southern and western farmers

had been hurt by British trade restrictions

• Britain had been supporting Native Americans who were attacking American settlers

• Many Americans wanted to seize Canada and push Britain out of North America

• British policy of impressment angered many

Invasion of Canada• US forces attempted to

invade British Canada from three different points, but each attack failed disastrously

• US and British fought to a stalemate in the Great Lakes regions

British attack Washington D.C. and Baltimore

• August 1814: British troops landed in Washington DC, capturing and burning the city – but not capturing President Madison

• British troops were turned back when they attacked Baltimore

The Star-Spangled Banner• During British failed

attack on Ft. McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, US lawyer Francis Scott Key composed “The Star-Spangled Banner” – originally just a poem, it is now our national anthem.

Treaty of Ghent• December 24, 1814• US and British agreed to

end the war, since neither side seemed to be in a position to win quickly

• Agreed to return to pre-war boundaries, but little else was resolved

Battle of New Orleans• January 1815• News of the war’s end was

too slow in traveling!• US Gen. Andrew Jackson

defeated a much larger force of British troops who were trying to seize New Orleans

• Jackson used cotton bales to create defensive positions

• After the battle, Jackson became a national hero

The Hartford Convention• New England Federalists had

opposed the war with Britain since the beginning

• December 1814: held a meeting in Hartford, CT

• Some suggested that New England should leave the Union, others called for amending the Constitution

• After news that the war was over, Federalist opposition appeared unpatriotic and destroyed the party

Consequences of War of 1812• US gained respect in

Europe for holding its own

• Generated a new spirit of US nationalism and patriotism

• Destroyed the Federalist Party

Relations with Spain• Spain controlled Mexico

(which included Texas at the time), Florida, and (prior to 1800) New Orleans and the Louisiana Territory

• Spain worried about the US forming alliances with its enemies

Pinckney’s Treaty (Treaty of San Lorenzo)

• 1795: Spain joined France in its war against Britain

• Spain felt threatened by possible alliance of US and Britain through Jay’s Treaty, so offered to allow US free navigation of the Mississippi River to avoid war

Andrew Jackson in Florida• Spanish Florida was a big

problem for US’ southern states – it harbored runaway slaves and was a base for attacks by Seminole Indians into US territory

• 1818: Gen. Jackson was ordered into Florida to stop Seminoles; Jackson decided to just go ahead and take out the Spanish too!

Adams-Onis Treaty• Spain was infuriated by

Jackson’s actions• US put blame on Spain for

not being able to control the Seminoles

• Spain finally agreed to surrender Florida to the US in return for the US agreeing to a formal border between the US and Spanish Texas