America's first two presidents, George Washington and John Adams, both resolutely
adhered to the idea that America should endeavor to stay out of war at all times, and did
everything in their power to evade declaring and entering into war. Throughout their
reigns, war was ubiquitous in Europe, and many countries (especially Britain and France)
made numerous attempts to obtain and secure America's support. Washington and
Adams both believed that America should not side with any foreign country during times
of war making the fundamental purport of America's first foreign policy the elusion of
war at all costs. This policy was manifested throughout Washington and Adams'
involvement in, and reactions to the following affairs: the Citizen Genet controversy, the
Jay Treaty, and the XYZ Affair.
One of Washington's initial attempts to pursue this policy was his counteraction
to the Genet Affair. In 1793, George Washington proclaimed neutrality, thus declaring
America an......
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