U.S. Foreign Policy - AP U.S. History

In the years between the end of the Revolutionary War and the outbreak of The War of 1812 the American merchant fleet grew dramatically. Although the majority of its trade continued to be with the British, the British public and government resented the added competition—in particular America’s trade with Britain’s perennial enemy, the French. During the Napoleonic Wars British ships often took to impressing American sailors to work aboard their ships—a provocative violation of American neutrality. In America the general response was outrage, and many prominent American politicians, like James Madison and Andrew Jackson, called for a “Second War of Independence” to finish the break with the Empire. Finally, many Americans living on the frontier were fighting a near constant conflict with displaced Native American populations and were offended to find that the British had been providing many Native American groups with weapons and supplies. The only false statement here is that it was the ascension of the Federalist Party that contributed to the outbreak of war. On the contrary, Federalist power was on the decline at the time. It was the Democratic-Republicans, and their significantly more staunch Anti-British feeling, that was in the ascension.

The popular phrase "Remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain!" was influential in beginning the Spanish-American War later that year, even though Spanish involvement in the sinking of the Maine was not conclusively determined.

In the years immediately after the French revolution, diplomatic tensions between the United States and France were growing very quickly and seemed to be precipitating war. In an attempt to avoid war President Adams sent a delegation of diplomats to negotiate with the famous French diplomat Talleyrand. Talleyrand demanded a bribe to even meet with the American representatives; when word spread back to Adams, the United States’ politicians were outraged. Many Federalists called for war and pressed Adams to release a copy of the report filed to him. Adams did release the report, but changed the names of the French diplomats to W, X, Y, and Z thus earning the whole business the title “The XYZ Affair.” In response to the public outrage over this seeming affront to American dignity Federalists were able to push through a massive upgrade to the United States’ Navy. However, Adams steadfastly refused to declare war and tensions ultimately died down.

The Battle of Gettysburg finished an effort by Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army to invade the North in Pennsylvania and create panic among the Union's populace. The Union victory made Lee take his forces back into Southern territory, and from that point forward, the Southern Army was pushed further back on its heels. The other significance of the Union victory was that it occurred on July 4, 1863, which was also the date that the Union won a victory at Vicksburg, MS, freeing up the Mississippi River. The two victories brought an increasing focus on a smaller amount of Confederate Territory, and helped slowly bring the war to a close nearly two years later.

Edmond-Charles Genet was a French diplomat to the United States during the French Revolution. He was dispatched to the United States to try to encourage American support for the French wars against other European nations, primarily Britain. Citizen Genet ignored official diplomatic avenues, instead focusing on organizing popularly-supported mercenaries to fight Britain’s ally, Spain, in Florida. His success undermined Washington’s proclamation of neutrality, and Washington widely condemned his actions. The matter came to an end when a different form of government came to power, and Genet was branded a criminal in France.

The Battle of Fort Sumter broke out in the early morning of April 12, 1860, with Confederate troops bombarding the tiny island fort in Charleston Harbor. Confederates claimed that it was their property, as it was in Confederate territory, while Lincoln refused to let go of Union Army installations. Forces led by Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard bombarded the fort for two days, until the Union troops surrendered, and the Confederates took control of the fort and the harbor. The Battle marked the official start of the Civil War, and many northern volunteers came forward. In slave states that had not joined the Confederacy, secession debates were enflamed once more, with Virginia, Tennesee, North Carolina, and Arkansas rounding out the Confederacy.

The Mexican-American War was initially incited by the United States' annexation of the Republic of Texas, which Mexico still claimed much of as its own territory. President James K. Polk had been elected by promising to spread American territory to the Pacific, and war with Mexico brought this about most easily. The United States won quite handily, quickly occupying New Mexico and California, and eventually occupying Mexico City. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo established peace by giving the present day American Southwest to the United States, and giving America a coast to coast territorial presence.

The Intolerable Acts was the collective name for the series of restrictions placed on the New England colonies in the events preceding the American Revolution. The other answers were causes of the War of 1812.

The Battle of Gettysburg was the decisive turning point in the Civil War. Coming as the culmination of an invasion of the Northern states by the Confederate Army, the Battle of Gettysburg was an overwhelming Union victory. The Union win made the Confederate troops take a torturous retreat that weakened and morale. While the war would continue for almost two more years, the Confederacy was fighting off the back foot for the remainder of the conflict. Although Robert E. Lee resigned as commander of the Confederate Army after the battle, his resignation was refused, and he remained in the role until 1865.

The United States had always had a special interest in Spain's Caribbean colonial possessions, as they lay so close to the U.S. mainland. In 1898, the Naval battleship U.S.S. Maine was stationed in Havana harbor off the coast of Cuba when it sank under mysterious circumstances. The outcry in the press over the destruction of the American ship made the public and politicians clamor for a war to free Cuba from Spanish rule.

The French and Indian War was part of a larger Anglo-French conflict. The British invested more resources in North America and defeated the French in Canada by invading and conquering Montreal. This led to the stripping of all French territory in North America.

Arnold was in charge of a wide swath of land and a good number of troops in the New York and Pennsylvania area. His plan to surrender everything in his command was uncovered in 1780, bringing him infamy in the colonies and increasing support for the colonial cause. The British government gave him a commission in the British Army after his treason was uncovered.

Fought between 1754 and 1763, the French and Indian War was the North American theater of a larger conflict between European powers known as the Seven Years' War. Great Britain and France were the principal adversaries in North America, with various Native American groups siding with each European power. The final result was a resounding win for Britain, with France completely leaving the St. Lawrence River in present day Canada and ceding that territory to Britain. The War also saw the first signs of unity between the British colonies in North America, and an increased focus on colonial political issues.

The early part of the Revolutionary War saw mostly British victories and a distinct lack of obvious Colonial successes. In late 1777, Washington took his under trained and ill-formed Continental Army to Valley Forge for an encampment, some 20 miles from Philadelphia, still held by British troops. Over six months at Valley Forge, cold, disease, and poor morale all weakened the Army; however, Washington held firm, used the Prussian Officer Baron von Steuben train his soldiers, and allowed the Continental Congress to officially agree on an alliance with France.

Therefore the winter at Valley Forge strengthened the Continental Army into a force that could win the Revolution.

The Treaty of Breda ended a worldwide conflict between European powers, which essentially froze all territorial gains made by every power. Most significantly for North America, the Dutch ceded their colony of New Amsterdam, which the English immediately renamed New York, after the English city and the brother of the King, James, Duke of York. Controlling New York Harbor gave the English an unbroken line of colonies across the Atlantic coast, strengthening their hold even more over North America.

President Washington had a foreign policy stance of neutrality during his presidency. Manifest Destiny was a foreign policy initiative adopted by James Madison, starting with the War of 1812.

The Spanish-American War was fought simultaneously against Spanish possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Claiming to defend Filipino rebels, the United States invaded the Philippines and fought the Spanish there, soundly defeating them. From 1899-1914, the US fought the very Filipino insurgents they were claiming to defend in their invasion in 1898.

First stated by President James Monroe, the Monroe Doctrine became a long-standing tenet of American foreign policy.

The Adams-Onis Treaty, signed in 1819, ceded control of Florida from Spain to the United States. In addition, it settled the boundary dispute between the furthest western settlements of the United States, in what is now Texas, with the viceroyalty of New Spain, (now Mexico). The Treaty is generally considered to be the close of the first wave of American expansion; it was not universally respected, however, and many western Americans refused to recognize its legitimacy—continuing to settle in the territory west of the boundaries drawn up: in modern-day New Mexico and Colorado.

In 1819, the United States bought Florida from Spain in the Adams-Onis Treaty.