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Presidency of George Washington
This was the period of time in which George Washington was President of the United States. -
Proclamation of Neutrality
Wishing to stay out of the conflict between France and England because they were still emerging as a new nation, George Washington signed a document stating that America would stay neutral. This allowed America's economy to develop much faster than if they had to deal with expenses from a war. -
Jay's Treaty
Tensions between the Americans and the British were still high after the end of the Revolutionary War, so the Americans resolved to sign a treaty with them. The terms of the Treaty included the Brits evacuating the Northwest Territory, compensating for crimes against American shipping, and ending British discrimination against U.S. commerce. Some Americans thought it was good, but others (like Democratic-Republicans) thought it was being too nice to the British. -
Pinckney's Treaty
Pinckney's Treaty was a treaty between the United States and Spain which clarified borders between the two nations, as well as granting the Americans unrestricted use of the Mississippi River for trade. This treaty was one of the first causes of the Manifest Destiny Mindset, as Americans started realizing that moving west gave power, land, and money, and the U.S. started gaining a sense of nationalism. -
Farewell Address
George Washington stated that he didn't want America to become a monarchy, so he stepped down and refused to fun for a third term. Before leaving office, he wrote a letter to the citizens of the United States, which contained three main ideas: 1) It warned against permanent alliances with foreign nations, and 2) It warned against political parties dividing the country. -
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Presidency of James Monroe
This was the period of time in which James Monroe was President of the United States. -
Rush-Bagot Agreement
This treaty was between the United States and British Canada. Further steps were taken towards complete neutrality with the British, because a compromise was reached concerning navies and fishing (military and economy) in the Great Lakes. This not only helped the American economy continue to grow, but also was beneficial in the process of getting completely back on the good side of the British. -
Convention of 1818
In this convention, America and British Canada made a treaty which established the border between America and Canada at 49 degrees north, and permitted Americans and Canadians to share the Pacific Northwest Territory (Oregon and Washington). Manifest Destiny grew much stronger, as citizens believed that America should invade Canada and take it from the British. This never happened, which kept growing relations with the British in tact. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
The Adams-Onis Treaty was signed between the United States and Spain. The terms of the treaty were that the Spanish would sell Florida to the Americans, and the border between Spanish Mexico and the Southwest US would be clarified. Westward expansion grew some more, and the idea of Manifest Destiny started clicking into gear. It may have been a minor cause of the Spanish-American War in 1898. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was issued by James Monroe in an attempt to sustain neutrality with the European countries. There were three main points in the doctrine: 1) The Western Hemisphere was now off-limits for future colonization by any European nation, 2) The United States wouldn't interfere with European affairs, and 3) America would only defend herself if attacked by a country from Europe. -
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Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower
This was the period of time in which Dwight D. Eisenhower was the President of the United States. -
Massive Retaliation
This policy was established by Eisenhower and his administration. The basis was that America would retaliate with a much greater force if provoked by another (specifically Communist) nation. This particularly involved the use of nuclear weapons, and frightened many Americans, as it seemed like the Cold War was advancing quite rapidly if this amount of ‘safety’ was necessary. -
Containment
Containment was simply a policy in which America attempted to stop the spread of Communism. China was a very large power at the time, and in order to keep the nation non-Communist, America went out of her way to protect the islands of the Chinese Nationalists. Communism was hindered (at least for a while), but America’s reputation started to change again. -
Eisenhower Doctrine
The Eisenhower Doctrine was issued by President Eisenhower in 1957. The doctrine stated that America would provide aid to any Middle Eastern country that needed help from the threat of Communism. This sent a message out to the Soviets that the US would take action if an attack arose, and demonstrated America’s interests in Middle East developments. -
Admission of Alaska and Hawaii as States
Hawaii - August 21, 1959
Alaska - January 3, 1959
These events weren’t necessarily foreign policy considering the United States already owned them as territories prior to annexation, but they are being mentioned the the purpose of the “completion” of the idea of Manifest Destiny - America started out as a little strip of land on the Atlantic Ocean, and eventually people wanted more and more land - and got it - until the United States of America weren’t even all in one place!
