Brief presentation to accompany the Americans, Chapter 6.2. Highlights the key Foreign Affairs issues of Washington and Adams Presidencies

1. FOREIGN
AFFAIRS
TROUBLE
THE NATION
SECTION 6.2

2. THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION
1) WHY DID WASHINGTON ISSUE THE DECLARATION OF
NEUTRALITY?
• The young nation
could not afford ($$)
to get involved in
another war
• Washington wanted
to build bridges with
Great Britain after
the American
Revolution

3. BATTLE OF FALLEN
TIMBERS
2) WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF THE UNITED STATES
VICTORY AT FALLEN TIMBERS?
• The Miami Confederacy
was defeated
• ended Native American
resistance in Ohio
• the Treaty of Greenville

4. TREATY OF
GREENVILLE
What were the terms of the Treaty of
Greenville?
• Miami Confederacy gave up most land
in Ohio
• Miami Confederacy received $20,000
plus ~$10,000 / year
• Set a precedent of paying Native
Americans much less for land than
what it was worth

5. JAY’S TREATY
3) TO WHAT DID BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES
AGREE?
• British would evacuate posts in the Northwest Territory
• British would be allowed to continue the fur trade on
the American side of the Canadian border
• The US gave assurances to remain neutral on the
French Revolution
• Britain would stop attacking American vessels at sea
and make reparations for seized ships and cargo
• Britain would receive “most-favored-nation” treatment
in American trade
reparations repayment for losses

6. PINCKNEY’S TREATY
4) TO WHAT DID SPAIN AND THE UNITED STATES
AGREE?
• Spain gave up claims
to land east of the
Mississippi R.
• recognized the 31st
parallel as the
northern boundary of
Florida
• the Mississippi R. and
the Port of New
Orleans were opened
to American traffic

7. PINCKNEY’S TREATY
Why did the United States want
access to the Mississippi River?

8. ADAMS ELECTED
PRESIDENT
5) WHAT PROBLEMS DID THIS ELECTION UNDERSCORE?
• The Constitution
allowed the
president and the
vice-president to be
elected from
different parties
• growing danger of
sectionalism
• Election Map

9. ADAMS ELECTED
PRESIDENT
Sectionalism
• putting the interests of one’s region or state over the
interests of the entire nation
• this type of division becomes an underlying theme
created by the rise of political parties
• much of American history is plagued with politicians
and people putting the smaller interests of their state
or region over the greater good of the entire nation
• in the election of 1796, it was Alexander Hamilton
who made sectionalism worse by convincing
Federalist electors in South Carolina to vote for
Pinckney instead of the Adams

10. XYZ AFFAIR
Describe the XYZ Affair.

11. XYZ AFFAIR
6) WHAT EFFECT DID THE AFFAIR HAVE ON US-FRENCH
RELATIONS?
• anti-French sentiment
(feelings) in the United States
• “Millions for defense, but not
one cent for tribute.”
• undeclared naval war with
France
• Congress authorized an army
to be created to defend against
France
• Congress created a navy
department and authorized
American ships to seize
French vessels

12. XYZ AFFAIR
tribute
• an act, statement, or gift that is intended to show
gratitude, respect, or admiration

13. ALIEN AND SEDITION
ACTS
7) WHAT MEASURES WERE CONTAINED IN THESE ACTS?
ALIEN ACTS
• 3 Laws directed at foreigners that drew suspicion
from the Federalists
1. Naturalization Act: increased the residence
requirement for citizenship from 5 to 14 years
2. Alien Act: gave the president the power to
imprison “dangerous” aliens
3. Alien Enemy Act: allowed the president, in time of
war expel or imprison enemy aliens at will

14. ALIEN AND SEDITION
ACTS
7) WHAT MEASURES WERE CONTAINED IN THESE ACTS?
SEDITION ACT
• sedition: action or speech inciting people to rebel
against the authority of a government
1. allowed people who wrote, published, or spoke
anything of a “false, scandalous and malicious”
nature against the government or of its officers to
be arrested

15. ALIEN AND SEDITION
ACTS
Why did the Alien & Sedition Act upset the
Democratic Republicans so much?
How did the Alien and Sedition Acts lead to the
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions?

16. VIRGINIA & KENTUCKY
RESOLUTIONS
8) WHAT DID THESE RESOLUTIONS DECLARE?
• the right of nullification
(states have the right to
void any act of Congress
they believe to be
unconstitutional)

17. EXTRA: COMPACT THEORY OF
GOVERNMENT
• a compact is an agreement (like the Mayflower
Compact) made by the members to work
together to a common goal
• Democratic-Republicans viewed the national
government as a compact of the states – that the
states hold the higher authority
• therefore, the states have the authority to say
when Congress has exceeded its powers