James Madison inherited several difficult foreign policy matters from the Jefferson administration. Jefferson had previously signed the Embargo Act and Non-Intercourse Act which outlawed trade with the warring powers of Great Britain and France in an attempt to keep the United States neutral in their conflict. While this might have kept the United States out of the war, it caused the economy at home to essentially stagnate. West Florida also became a US territory during the Madison administration. Since Britain had had long-standing designs on the area, this act caused old tensions to resurface. Great Britain had also been impressing American sailors into its naval service. These issues would come to a head when Madison sided with France and declared war on Great Britain in 1812.
James Monroe's foreign policy was dominated by the Monroe Doctrine. In 1823, Monroe decided to entirely rewrite the country's stance on foreign affairs by declaring that the United States alone would have colonial rights in the western hemisphere. European powers were told to stay out of the Americas entirely. Monroe also pledged to not involve the United States in the affairs of European powers as long as they abided by the Doctrine. This policy would be practiced by the United States for nearly a century and become a defining part of the country's stance on foreign affairs.
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Adams tried his best to follow Washington's lead and avoid war at all costs. He knew the country was too young to become embroiled in foreign feuds. Although the Alien and Sedition Acts were used to diminish the power of the Anti-Federalists, they also kept the public from crying out for war.
Monroe took a step toward isolationism with the Monroe Doctrine; he was warning Russia and Europe that colonization in the New World had come to an end.
Continuing on the above answer in regards to Presidents Jefferson and Madison, both of them agreed with Washington that staying neutral in foreign policy was a smart choice that would keep the country from being dragged into European wars and rivalries.
Jefferson signed the Embargo Act in 1807 that kept American merchants from trading with any country fighting in the Napoleonic Wars, and Madison only slightly modified that policy in the Non-Intercourse Act. Harsh on our economy to be sure, but designed to keep us out of Europe's foreign affairs.
This is a bit long of a question for eNotes, but I'll have a start on it.
George Washington's main foreign policy point in his Farewell Address was to avoid "foreign entanglements." By that, he meant that he didn't want the US to get caught up in wars between foreign powers.
He was proved right, to some extent, by the US getting caught up in the fighting between England and France after the French Revolution (in the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison, especially). The US almsot goes to war with France and ends up going to war with Britain because it got caught up in the conflict between those two countries.
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