Download Issues Facing the New Government

The Presidency
of George
Washington:
Foreign Affairs
EQ 11/15
List
the Articles of the
Constitution and share, in your
opinion, which one is the most
important in today’s society
and why?
Native American Relations
As more settlers pushed west
across the Appalachians and
into the Ohio River Valley,
they increasingly came into
conflict with Native
Americans
 Native Americans were NOT
U.S. citizens and were not
protected by American law;
the settlers, however, were
and the government took
action to protect the interests
of settlers over those of the
Native American tribes

Tennessee & Kentucky Join the Union



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
First settled by whites in
the 1750s and 1760s
Led to multiple conflicts
with native groups
Kentucky became the 15th
state in 1792
Tennessee became the
16th state in 1796
(Vermont had broken
away from NY in 1791 to
become the 14th state)
The Western Indian Confederacy


Many tribes in the Great
Lakes region began
working together to
present a united front
against further U.S.
expansion into the Ohio
Valley
The Indian Confederacy
badly defeated
inexperienced U.S. troops
in battles in both 1790
and 1791
A Growing Threat


The Native Americans were
emboldened by the British,
who continued to trade guns
and supplies out of Canada
(and even from forts in U.S.
territory which the British
refused to abandon)
The Native chiefs demanded
that the U.S. give up its claims
to the Ohio Valley and
increasingly became a threat
to American settlers in the
region
Washington Takes Action
Even though President
Washington sympathized to
a degree with the Native
Americans’ plight, he could
not tolerate attacks against
American citizens who were
legally settling in U.S.
territory
 Washington ordered Henry
Knox to raise an army (The
Legion of the United States)
to end the Indian threat

Battle of Fallen Timbers



August 20, 1794, near
Toledo, Ohio
3000 US troops led by
General “Mad Anthony”
Wayne finally defeated
Indian Confederation
warriors led by Shawnee
Chief Blue Jacket
This defeat effectively
ended the Northwest
Indian War
Treaty of Greenville
August 2, 1795
 Natives agreed to
surrender most of Ohio
and areas that are today
Detroit and Chicago for
$20,000 in goods and the
creation of a permanent
boundary between US
and Indian territory
 Future settlers would,
unfortunately, ignore the
negotiated boundary

The British Withdraw

The defeat of the
Indian Confederacy
and the continuing
presence of the Legion
of the United States in
the region finally
prompted the British to
surrender their
remaining forts located
on U.S. soil in 1796 to
General Wayne
The French Revolution



Most Americans
sympathized with French
revolutionaries at first
Hamilton’s Federalists
turned against the
revolutionaries when the
Revolution became too
violent
Jefferson’s DemocraticRepublicans continued to
support the French in
their fight for liberty
War between Britain and France


Americans traded with
both countries, so when
Britain and France went
to war with one another
in 1793, it was a problem
The U.S. was bound by
the Treaty of 1778 to
help defend France’s
Caribbean colonies, but
honoring this treaty could
lead the U.S. into a war
against the British
Proclamation of Neutrality



April, 1793
George Washington
believed the young and
weak U.S. could not
afford to get involved in
the war between
France and Britain, so
he chose not to honor
the Treaty of 1778
Washington declared
the U.S. to be “friendly
and impartial” to both
countries
Problems with Britain



Britain began blockading
France and seized any
ships trying to enter
French ports
Hundreds of U.S. ships
and their cargoes were
seized by the British as a
result
This angered U.S.
merchants, who were
taking huge financial
losses
Jay’s Treaty (1795)
Washington sent John Jay to
negotiate with the British
government
 The U.S. agreed that Britain had
the right to seize goods bound
for France; in return, Britain
agreed to grant the U.S. “most
favored nation” status and to
allow American merchants free
trade with British colonies in the
Caribbean to offset the lost
trade with France
 Democratic-Republicans were
angered by treaty and felt that
Jay had sold out the French

Washington’s Farewell Address


Published in fall of 1796
The 64-year-old
Washington explained his
decision to not seek a
third term as President
and offered advice to the
American people on what
dangers they should
avoid in the future to
preserve the American
Republic
Washington’s Advice



Stay neutral in foreign
affairs and avoid all
“foreign entanglements”
(alliances & wars)
Good government is
based on religion and
morality, so elect only
moral men to office
Political parties are
divisive and dangerous to
national unity – avoid
them at all costs