Avoiding the European Conflict.wmv

It was bad enough that the French Revolution devolved into a chaotic bloodbath - worse yet was the fact that France went to war with England and then appealed to the United States for assistance through the office of Ambassador Genet. President Washington wisely decided on a course of strict neutrality and went so far as to dispatch John Jay to London to procure a treaty of non-aggression with the British Crown. It was the best thing we could have done as France turned out to be a historical basket-case and the British our most reliable ally.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• France
• United States
• Great Britain
• Ambassador Genet
• George Washington
• neutrality
• French Revolution

[Trinity61]

The French weren't out of line asking for help...if it wasn't for France, America wouldn't have won independence. However, America was right to stay neutral. After all, the French helped the Americans not so much for love of liberty, but to humiliate their rivals the British.

[VotePaineJefferson]

This is the shining example of a non-interventionist foreign policy at work. Washington wisely knew the dangers of involvement in foreign conflicts. Look at how far we've fallen...sad.

[aaaredskin]

@Jononutoob I have no problem at all with looking out for number 1.

[aaaredskin]

Thanks for this awesome post......I just wish you'd have let us hear what Jefferson said back to President Washington there at the end. I suspect that Jefferson was in favor of helping the French....

[jerod910]

The French loan America over 30 million dollars during the revaluation and almost bankrupt king Louis XVI, the French just wanted help in return

[CaptainRon956]

Hamilton looked like he could care less about France, lol..... many of us today share the same feelings about France...

[mak34237]

Wow the french are pricks! lol

[Jononutoob]

Its amazingly sad how we went from this foreign policy to preemptive war.

[Speegs23]

@Trinity61 The monarchy, the executed Louis XVI is who aided the USA, not the french, that government was overthrown in a bloody rebellion.

[Hperman09]

@thebritish25 That was pre-WW2 interventionism when the U.S. stay out of business because we assume it's their own problem. Interventionism wasn't a populat thing among Americans before the Pearl Harbor attack. After WW2, it's decided that the U.S. had to aid to their allies and not stay in isolation again because we found it would not work. The irony is that people accused America is being world police yet other countries cannot do it themselves. Like Europe needs the U.S. for help in Bosnia.

[thebritish25]

@Hperman09 You did just sit on your arse and did it see where it got you ?!

Pearl Harbour the Fall of the Philipenes Wake islands.

Hell had it not been for the lucky break at Midway well lets just say the US would have been humiliated by Japan.

But anyway you might have to pull out soon the Pax Americana is coming to an end.

[VotePaineJefferson]

@TheSirPrise Far too weak, eh? You sir are stunningly and embarrassingly ignorant of the military industrial complex. Well meaning conservatives who strongly endorse the American empire should reconsider their position, focusing on the MASSIVE loss of innocent life and harmful effects war spending has on our economy and trade deficit.

But look how quickly you abandoned your intellectual position in favor of name calling once I exposed the absurdity of your argument! LOL. Have a nice day.