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Immigration First Became a Political Football in 1798
The fight for independence was almost 15 years in the rear view mirror. Elections under the newly ratified Constitution and Electoral College worked as designed, and George Washington handed over…
Read MoreProblems of Remaining Neutral in 1798
The French Revolution which began in 1789 presented a series of difficult foreign policy challenges for the United States. One of the clauses in the Franco-American 1778 Treaty of Friendship…
Read MoreFor Purchase or Otherwise
In the winter of 1794, war in Europe raged. The first of the French Revolutionary Wars – the War of the First Coalition – was approaching the two-year mark. In…
Read MoreSigning Day
We are all taught that on July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence, was signed and promulgated. Well, not exactly. By the time the Declaration of Independence was approved by…
Read MoreThe U.S. Navy’s First War
By 1794 the War of the First Coalition was well underway in Europe. The French claimed that the Franco-American 1778 Treaty of Alliance and Friendship committed the U.S. to protect…
Read MoreThe Undeclared War Against France
The French Republic won the War of the First Coalition when Austria, Prussia, Spain and The Netherlands made peace. French royalty’s first attempt to restore the Bourbon monarchy had failed.…
Read MoreThe First 18th Century Domino to Fall
By 1789, Louis XVI, the French King who came to our aid against the British was in trouble. His rule was viewed as corrupt and was very unpopular. France was…
Read MoreFirst Assault
Marine Corps history officially started on November 10th, 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battalions of Marines. Eighteen days later, Samuel Nicholas was commissioned as its…
Read MoreMadison’s Blueprint
The Articles of Confederation were drafted and passed on November 1st, 1777, almost a month after the Battle of Saratoga had been won in October 1777. It would take four…
Read MoreColonialism and Lord Shelburne’s Vision for the New Country
Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown occurred in October 1781. Four British Prime Ministers (North, Rockingham, Shelburne and Cavendish) and 23 months later, the nascent United States and the Great Britain agreed…
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