The First Foreign Affairs of the USA

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    Proclamation of Neutrality

    This proclmation was issued by President George Washington. He wanted the new country of the United States to avoid foreign affairs so they could focus solely on building up a strong nation instead of nudging themselves between 2 countries (France and Great Britain) at war which could be detrimental to their well-being.
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    XYZ Affair

    The XYZ Affair was a result of the United States attempt to remain neutral with France. They sent over some American officials hoping to contact the French officials but were instead met by three men. They demanded money from the USA, but the American officials thought of this as bribery and were actually offended by the attempt. This left France and the USA on bad terms.
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    Convention of 1800

    The Convention of 1800 served to mend the rocky relationship between France and the United States of America. After the XYZ Affair, France and the US had been a little uneasy and were in sort of a Quasi war, but after this convention, they resolved their differences.
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    The Louisiana Purchase

    In 1803, the United States of America decided to purchase a huge expanse of land that was previously owned by the French from Napoleon. This land mass cost the US 50 million francs, but also doubled their size which contributed to their growing nationalism
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    Embargo Act

    The Embargo Act was put into action so that the US could attempt to stay out of the tensions going on in Europe. This prohibited the states from trading with any foreign nations. This had many negative affects on their economy because it greatly depleted their income due to their drop in exports.
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    The War of 1812

    The War of 1812 was between the United States and Great Britain. Prior to the war, Britain thought that it would be acceptable to kidnap American sailors and then force them into joining their navy which is called impressment. This angered America and in 1812, they declared war on Britain.
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    Treaty of Ghent

    The Treaty of Ghent wrapped up the end of the War of 1812. After a couple years of fighting, the Americans pulled through and overcame the British once again. America gained a great deal of nationalism after this war.
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    The Monroe Doctrine

    Under the United States President Monroe, they declared that they would no longer tolerate any intervention or intrusion from other nations meaning that they basically claimed all western lands of the USA. This helped establish America as one of the world's greatest powers.