Washington's foreign affair policy was motivated by the crisis between France and Britain. Edmond Charles Genet was the foreign minister to the United States who was recalled due to defiant actions. Read how this spectacle solidified...

See why a war between Great Britain and France showed the vulnerablity of the new United States. Should the United States help France, after that country gave so much in the Revolutionary War, and risk the economic and military enmity of...

Thomas Jefferson tried to retain American neutrality in relations with France and Great Britain, who were at war with each other. Read about the Embargo Act and its effect on the American economy. See how other acts enacted in the...

This is a great overview of both the Jefferson Administration and the Madison administration. Read about the Louisiana Purchase, trade problems, the War of 1812, and the downfall of the Federalists. A great resource. [pdf]

An article by noted historian, Kinley Brauer, discusses the role of foreign policy for both the North and the South in the Civil War. An interesting, and often forgotten, aspect of the war.

Find out about the diplomatic crisis between the United States and Great Britain at the beginning of the Civil War, why it was important to the North and South, and how it was resolved.

The French Revolution had political consequences in the United States. It forced us to adopt a clear foreign policy of neutrality and to pass legislation concerning immigration. Examine how Jefferson and Adams responded to the French...

Both the British and French challenged American sovereignty and neutrality on the high seas. Read about the solution favored by Thomas Jefferson, but despised by the American shippers. See why this a cause of the War of 1812, along with...