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Chapter V - Britain or France - Choosing Sides
Britain or France - Choosing Sides
While Jefferson and Hamilton squabbled over internal affairs, foreign affairs threatened stability. The French had taken arms against their king and the aristocracy, violently demanding a republic similar to that of the United States. Initially, most Americans heartily cheered the French Revolution, applauding the imminent overthrow of a despotic monarch and a decadent aristocracy. However, by the early 1790s the news of King Louis XVI's beheading, the ensuing "reign of terror" by revolutionaries who ruthlessly guillotined loyalists, and the French declaration of war against Britain created a dilemma for Americans. Should the United States continue to support France unconditionally or break its ties? When France recognized America's independence in 1778, the two countries had signed a treaty of alliance which bound them together forever, yet the United States and Britain shared a common language and history as well as being successful business partners. Hamilton encouraged alliance with Britain because ninety percent of revenue from import taxes came from British goods. Contrary to Hamilton's opinion, Jefferson and his supporters firmly believed that the United States owed its independence to the French for their assistance in the Revolutionary War and advocated neutrality which would be "benevolent toward France."
On April 22, 1793, Washington issued a neutrality proclamation simply stating that the United States was "friendly and impartial toward the belligerent powers." From an economic standpoint, Washington's proclamation was a windfall for American farmers who supplied badly needed grain for both French and British armies. However, no matter how much the United States tried to remain neutral, Britain would not allow Americans to supply the French. Attempting to starve France into submission, British ships cut off the supply of grain by seizing American ships and sailors. Despite a storm of protest, including Jefferson's resignation as head of the State Department, Hamilton was determined not to sever relations with Great Britain.
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