Foreign Policy 19th Century

What key advice points did George Washington give in his Farewell Address?

• Opposed alliances and suggested only temporary ones in extraordinary situations

• Warned against both long-standing hatred and passionate attachments to other countries →

  • Leads to war + citizens may betray their own country and make decisions that don’t serve national interests

• Opposed foreign influence esp. from EU → Europe’s primary interests did not align with those of the U.S

• Only wanted foreign relations connected to trade

  • Called for expansion of US commerce abroad

• Avoid political parties/ factions to stay united

In what ways did the US follow George' Washington’s Advice advice?

• Statement foundation for isolationist foreign policy until mid 20th century

• Contributed to a lack of gov’t involvement in international relations

In what ways did the US ignore George Washington’s Advice?

• GW’s advice was ignored and US split into Pro-British Federalists (John Adams) and Pro-French Republicans (Thomas Jefferson)

• Permanent alliances: NATO, SK and Japan

How did Jefferson end up following a similar pattern to Federalist power use?

• Louisiana Purchase (1803):

  • Bought territory from Napoleon, doubling U.S. size + started constitutional debate over presidential power.

• Barbary Wars:

  • Jefferson sent the Navy and Marines to fight North African states (Barbary pirates) demanding safe trade + stopping payment.

  • Achieved a military victory in 1805, securing a favorable deal.

What was the Embargo Act?

(1807)

• In response to British and French interference with U.S. trade, Jefferson banned American exports to pressure Europe

• Backfired economically, hurting Americans more than Europeans..

• Widespread defiance, especially in New England, led to increased Federalist support.

What were the main causes of The War of 1812?

• Economic tensions and British impressment of American sailors (forcing them into the British navy) fueled anti-British sentiment.

• Britain refused to recognize naturalized U.S. citizens, claiming they were still British subjects.

• Native American tribes in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes allied with the British to resist U.S. expansion.

How was The War of 1812 fought?

Mostly involved US troops fighting native american tribes allied with Britain.

How did the War of 1812 end and what was the impact?

• Ended in December of 1814 with the Treaty of Ghent.

• The war secured American independence

• Anglo-American tensions persisted, especially over the U.S.-Canada border

• Impact on Native Americans

  • With the British no longer offering support, Native Americans lost diplomatic leverage.

  • Though treaties continued until 1871, tribes were reclassified legally as “domestic dependent nations” (defined in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831), weakening their sovereignty.

What was the Monroe Doctrine?

• White americans focused on territorial expansion

• Pres. Monroe introduced the policy:

  • No new colonization in the western hemisphere

  • EU should stay out of western hemisphere and US will stay out of EU affairs

Why was the Monroe Doctrine not recognized by other countries?

The US did not have the power to back it. The only country who followed was Britain, but solely for personal gain.

What was the Manifest destiny and how did it overlap with anglo-saxonism?

• Manifest Destiny was the belief that Americans were divinely ordained to expand across the continent and beyond.

• This ideology, combined with Anglo-Saxonism (the idea of white racial and cultural superiority), justified displacing nonwhite peoples + claiming new lands.

How was US territory commonly obtained in the early 19th century?

• Expansion often occurred through private settlement first. Then settlers demanded U.S. protection and annexation (e.g. Texas, Oregon, + California).

How did the Mexican-American War start and what was the outcome?

• President Polk deliberately provoked war by sending troops into disputed territory near the Rio Grande, claiming American blood was shed on American soil.

• The U.S. quickly defeated Mexico and gained vast territories in the Southwest through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

What was the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo?

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo:  Ended the Mexican-American War + ceded a vast portion of Mexico’s northern territory to the United States (present-day California, Arizona, + New Mexico).

What is one of the reasons did the US not annex all of Mexico?

Political concerns, especially about whether slavery would or wouldn’t be allowed there, halted further expansion.

What is Fillibustering? (Give an example)

• Filibusters = private adventurers who attempted to seize foreign lands without government approval in order to expand slavery or American influence.

  • William Walker briefly ruled Nicaragua in 1856 before being overthrown + executed

How did abolitionism reach other counties and what was the impact?

• American abolitionists formed international networks, especially w/ British counterparts.

  • Shared strategies and building moral pressure against slavery.

• Helped prevent Britain from recognizing the Confederacy during the Civil War.

How did Transnational Civil Society influence official U.S. foreign policy?

Shaped public opinion through media campaigns, protests, and advocacy, and by lobbying policymakers directly, it pressured the government to act on issues.

How did Americans expand after the Civil War?

• Americans expanded influence through commerce, missions, + cultural superiority.

  • Civil War empowered the federal government (more economic and millitary power)

• Union victory became a symbol of Anglo-American “progress.”

• Validated Anglo-Saxon racial ideologies with the backing of pseudo-scientific studies.

How did society justify int.involvement and market expansion?

• American society embraced racial hierarchy + progress.

• Post war expansion and imperialism leaned on anglo-saxonist ideas values.

How did the Civil war validate anglo-saxonism?

Emancipation was seen to make white people morally superior.

What achievments showed development of US global trade routes in the late 19th/early 20th?

• Transcontinental Railroad (first one in 1869)

• Panama Canal (started in 1904)

How did the US strengthen their global presence in commerce and markets?

• World’s fairs displayed American technological + cultural achievements.

• Businessmen and missionaries led foreign ventures.

How did US Policies on Immigration change and how did that impact US foreign relations?

• Labor needs drove massive immigration, including from China, with the Burlingame Treaty (1868) promoting open migration.

• Rising nativism and racist beliefs led to the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), the first major federal immigration restriction.

• Immigration became a national issue, and exclusionary policies (esp. against Asians) damaged U.S. relations with other nations.

How did the US practice informal imperialism?

• American companies often operated independently abroad, pushing U.S. influence in Hawaii, Guatemala, and China.

  • When problems arose, the U.S. government would intervene to protect American interests.

What limited the US from building an empire internationally?

Popular fear of integrating nonwhite populations into the U.S.