Foreign relations

How did relations with Britain improve?

US were angry that Britain still maintained it’s military posts south of the Great Lakes. Britain was also suspected of encouraging Native Americans to attack American settlers.

 Britain also tried to blockade US ships from trading with France & the West Indies – it seized 250 US ships carrying goods from the West Indies.

A bill to boycott trade with Britain was only narrowly defeated by 1 vote in the Senate – it seemed war was aboutto break out.

Jay’s Treaty

  1. Washingon sent Jay to Britain to negotiate a settlement in order to avoid war.

  2. The treaty promised that Britain:

    • Evacuate the northwest forts by 1796

    • American clams for compensation for ship seizure to arbitration

    • Very limited American commerce access to the British West Indies

    In return, America would:

    • Refer the pre-revolutionary debts and northeast boundary questions to mixed commissions

    • America would favour Britain the most, in terms of trade

    • French privateers would not be outfitted in American ports

  3. Faced opposition bcause:

    • Republicans saw it as a base surrender and a pact with the British devil

    • It appeared as more of an alliance wih Britain rather than a treaty (Jefferson)

    • Betrayed the people since it tied them closely to Britain

  4. In the long term, it was very successful: Britain surendered its forts, economic boom resulted from Anglo-American trade and its empire increased three-fold

Why did the federalists support this? The Federalists were pro-Britain and wanted economic boom.

How did relations with Spain improve?

Spain had previously encouraged opposition to American settlers from Native Americans & conflict frequently occurred, especially on bordering lands.

 However – Spain was worried that relations between the US & Britain were improving (following Jay’s Treaty) & this might threaten their land in Louisiana. Spain had previously encouraged opposition to American settlers from Native Americans & conflict frequently occurred, especially on bordering lands.

 However – Spain was worried that relations between the US & Britain were improving (following Jay’s Treaty) & this might threaten their land in Louisiana.

Pinckney’s Treaty

  1. Pickney went to Madrid as a special envoy in order to conclude the Treaty of San Lorenzo

  2. The Treaty of San Lorenzo meant that Spain:

    • Granted the USA free use of the Mississippi and the right to deposit goods in New Orleans

    • Accepted the American claim to the 31st parallel as the Florida boundary

    • Promised to restrain Naive Americans from attacking frontier settlements

  3. Spain were prepared to make these allowances since they were quite weak both economically and militarily.


Native American Policy 1789-93

  1. Washington supported a policy designed to create several sovereign Native American ‘homelands’. He envisaged that the Native American occupants of these areas would gradually become assimilated as fully fleged American citizens.

    1790 - Treaty of New York - Native Americans would get their land back from Georgia, private speculators could not gain land from the Native Americans

  2. Opposition and difficulties:

    • Georgia state legislature defied legislation telling them not to sell land that belonged to Native Americans - they sold more loand to speculators called the Yazoo company

    • In the North, white settlers simply moved in to Native American lands, breaking formal treaties

    • Wasington approved military expeditions into the Ohio Valley to put down NA uprisings, an expedition commanded by Arthur St Clair was annihilated.

Treaty of Greenville 1795 – After suffering a large defeat at the Battle of Fallen Timbers (facing 5000 US troops), Native American tribes agreed the US could have the rights to the lands of Ohio & Indiana.

  1. The Federalists used land expansion to improve the economy, by charging higher prices for land and selling them in large parcels.

    • The Land Acts 1796 increased the price of land to $2 per acre but most land would be sold in 640-acre sections, making the minimum cost $1280. This was pricey for speculators - fewer than 50,000 acres were sold under the act.

      However, the Republicans wanted odinary people t be able to buy up land.