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American Revolution
Our foreign policy was to fight against Great Britain. We wanted to achieve our independence from England. -
Washington'sFarewell Address
Washington warns the nation to not become excessively entangled in the affairs of other nations. Washington did not not America to enter into unneccessary wars due to long-term alliances. -
Barbary Wars
The Barbary Wars was a war fought between the US and the pirate states collectively known as the Barbary states. The war was beneficial to the military reputation of America, which had previously had been relatively untested. -
Embargo Act
As Great Britain and France engaged in a struggle for Europe, they violated American neutrality by capturing merchant ships intended for the enemy. America initiated an embargo, hoping to force complience from Europe. The embargo hurt the US just as much as the other natioins, undermining American faith in foreign affairs. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict between the United States and the British Empire started because of Britain's ongoing impressment of American sailors and support of Indian raids. The impact was a resolution of many issues which remained from the American War of Independence. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was an important statement of US foreign policy. It stated that any attempts to colonize North and South America by Europe would be met by American opposition, establishing the US as the guard dog of the Americas. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest destiny was an embodiment of expansionism during the middle 1800s. It was used to justify the war with Mexico and the division of Oregon. -
U.S. Mexican War
The Mexican War or the U.S.–Mexican War was an armed conflict between the U.S. and the United Mexican States over territory. The US won the war and secured a large portion of Mexican territory. -
Annexation of Hawaii
The US annexed Hawaii as part of the union in 1898, after American and European businessmen overthrew the existing monarchy. It established the US as a Pacific power. -
Spanish-American-Cuban War
The Spanish–American-Cuban War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, as a result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban Revolution against Spain. In addition to liberating Cuba, it liberated many other Spanish colonies and placed them under US jurisdiction. -
Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary was a statement that was intended to be an addition to the Monroe Doctrine. It states that the United States will intervene in conflicts between European Nations and Latin American countries to check the claims of the European powers. -
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations. It seeks to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities. Promoted by George Washington, it initially kept America out of the World Wars until it was threatened -
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World War 1
Initially determined to not enter this conflict, the Zimmerman note, in addition to British propaganda and U-boat attacks, provoked the US into declaring war on Germany. The resolution of the war blamed Germany for the war and put a massive burden on Germany's economy, setting the stage for a second Great War. -
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World War II
Once again, America attempted to follow its policy of isolationism and stay out of the war. But when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the US declared war on Japan, and Germany then declared war on the US in alliance with Japan. After the war, the US and the Soviet Union were the established superpowers with Europe crippled. -
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The Cold War
The Cold War was a prolonged non-military conflict between the US and the Soviet Union. During this time period, the US practiced the policy of containment to prevent the spread of communism and placed economic hardships on the Soviet Union until it fell in 1991. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by the U.S. stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent Soviet control of the area. Oftern referred to as the start of the Cold War, it also marked the beginning of the containment policy to stop Soviet expansion. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan was a giant aid package to Europe to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II. A partial goal was to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism into vulnerable European nations. -
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Vietnam
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. As part of our wider strategy of containment, the U.S. government viewed involvement as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. After many years involved in the struggle, the US finally withdrew after many casualties and public protests. -
Carter's emphasis on Foreign Policy
Earlier in his presidency, Jimmy Carter placed his foreign policy emphasis on human rights. However, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanstanistan, he adopted a more hard-line approach to foreign policy, stating that any further expansion into the Persian Gulf would be met with conflict. -
Détente
Détente was shift in American foreign policy from confrontation to negotiation. Introduced by Nixon in his presidency, the policy relaxed US-Soviet tensions. -
Engagement
Engagement was a policy promoted by President Clinton in the 1990s. Contrary to isolationism, it stated that the US would remain actively involved in foreign affairs -
9-11
On Semptember 11, the radical Islamic group Al-Qaeda led attacks against the US by crashing planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennslyvania. The attacks immediately redirected US foreign policy to combatting terrorism. -
Global War on Terror
The Global War on Terror is an international military campaign started as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The goal was to eliminate al-Qaeda and other militant terrorist organizations.