 First “foreign” issue may actually be a domestic one  US settlers begin moving out into Western territories at a quick pace  Native Americans will naturally want to defend their new territories  Get a lot of encouragement from both the English and Spanish  Other nations have little regard for the new US govt; Why should Natives?

 Certain tribes south of the Ohio River will come to peaceful settlements with the US, like the Cherokee, Chickamauga, and Creek  This allows areas like Kentucky (1792)and Tennessee (1796) to be settled  The tribes of the Northwest will not be nearly as peaceful  Battles between the Natives and Americans will rage well into the next century

 GW’s presidency is very difficult  Never easy to go first; there’s no model to fall back on  Becomes the standard bearer  He will be placed in some very difficult situations

 Within a few months of GW’s inauguration the French Revolution will break out  It’s a very popular event amongst American citizens  The support of the French is coupled with a deep hate for England  Expectation is that we will participate in some way on behalf of the French

 Getting involved in the French Rev would be a bad idea  We are not in a position to help out physically or financially  GW will keep the US out of it  This will not sit very well with France, or with many American citizens

 A civil war is not France's only issue  It’s also dealing with some major problems with the English  England and France will go to war in 1793  This is going to put us in a very difficult spot

Side with France Side with England  France will expect help from the US  They gave us a ton of assistance during the Revolution  Money  Troops  Navy  They aren’t even asking for that much into return; just want the use of ports and some troops  Wouldn’t necessarily be “siding” with England  In terms of politics, we are still anti-England  However, ¾ of our trade is with England  Most of our taxes are collected off of English products  England’s navy could shut down our trade

 GW will issue a Proclamation of Neutrality  All cabinet members will agree (though TJ is not happy)  Really comes down to Hamilton-Jefferson again (TJ- in favor of French, AH- England)  GW- “The United States will be friendly and impartial”  Warns that Americans helping either side would be denied the protection of the government

 This is not well received by the American people  GW’s decision gets coupled with the arrival of Frenchman Edmund Genet  He is here under the premise of recruiting troops  He is very popular with the American people, but not so well received by the govt.  His actions nearly endanger the concept of neutrality

 England will test us out as well  After war breaks out, they issue a series of orders preventing neutral ships from trading in the West Indies, or carrying weapons/food to France  That’s a big part of our trade  England begins seizing US trade vessels  That’s pretty aggressive; big time provocation/instigation  Hamilton will plead for peace efforts

 John Jay will be sent to England  Objective: payment for assaulted US ships, withdrawal of British troops, end Indian aid, secure commercial treaty  Hamilton actually hosed him on this one  Treaty is not favorable, but it avoids a war  Ultimately the treaty provides for England evacuating it’s forts (again), and limited US trade  Not well received at home

 Spain will be upset with the Jay Treaty as well  Thought there may have been a side deal cut  Thomas Pinckney will be sent to deal with some longstanding issues between the two nations  This works out well  We receive free navigation of the MS River, right of deposit in New Orleans, and the US idea of Florida’s boundaries

 By the end of his second term, GW had had enough  Had become very sensitive to criticism, and was criticized a lot  Lost some of TJ’s support; TJ resigned from the cabinet in 1793  Address- stay out of foreign affairs, avoid political parties