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Proclamation of Neutrality
A formal announcement issued by U.S. President George Washington in April 1793, declaring the nation neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain. It threatened legal proceedings against any American providing assistance to any country at war. -
XYZ Affairs
A political and diplomatic episode in 1797 and 1798, early in the administration of John Adams, involving a confrontation between the United States and Republican France that led to an undeclared war called the Quasi-War. -
Convention of 1800
The Convention of 1800, also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine, was a treaty between the United States of America and France to settle the hostilities that had erupted during the Quasi-War. -
Louisiana Purchase
The acquisition of the Louisiana territory by the United States from France in 1803. -
Embargo act
Made any and all exports from the United States illegal. It was sponsored by President Thomas Jefferson and enacted by Congress. The goal was to force Britain and France to respect American rights during the Napoleonic Wars. -
War of 1812
A military conflict, lasting for two and a half years, fought by the United States of America against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, its North American colonies, and its Native American allies. -
Treaty of Ghent
The peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. -
Monroe Doctrine
A U.S. foreign policy regarding domination of the American continent in 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention.