He was basically flying blind. People forget that when George Washington took office, there was no "how-to" manual for being a President, especially when it came to dealing with the massive, blood-thirsty empires of Europe. The world was messy. Imagine trying to run a startup while two corporate giants are trying to sue each other—and you—into oblivion. That was the reality of foreign affairs George Washington had to navigate. He wasn't just worried about trade deals; he was worried about the United States disappearing before it even hit its teens.
Washington knew the U.S. was weak. We had no real navy, a tiny army, and a mountain of debt that would make a modern CFO faint. If the country got sucked into the wars between Great Britain and France, it was game over. Simple as that.
The 1793 Proclamation of Neutrality: A Line in the Sand
The French Revolution changed everything. At first, Americans were stoked—"Hey, they're doing the liberty thing too!" But then the guillotines started dropping. France declared war on Britain in 1793, and suddenly, Washington was stuck in the middle. We had a treaty with France from 1778, but Washington's treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton, argued the French monarchy was gone, so the deal was off. Thomas Jefferson, his Secretary of State, wasn't so sure. He thought we owed France a debt of gratitude.
Washington chose a middle path. He issued the Proclamation of Neutrality in April 1793. It wasn't just a polite "no thanks." It was a legal warning to Americans: if you help either side, the government won't protect you from the consequences.
It was an unpopular move. People called him a closet monarchist. They burned effigies of him. But Washington was stubborn. He knew that "neutrality" was the only way to buy time for the country to grow. He basically told the world that America was open for business but closed for combat.
Citizen Genêt and the Art of the Annoying Guest
While Washington was trying to keep things chill, Edmond-Charles Genêt showed up. This guy was the new French minister, and he was a total wildcard. Instead of going to Philadelphia to meet Washington first, he landed in Charleston and started recruiting American privateers to attack British ships. He was acting like he owned the place.
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When he finally met Washington, the vibe was ice-cold. Washington wasn't having it. Genêt even threatened to appeal directly to the American people to overthrow the government’s neutrality policy. That was the final straw. Even Jefferson, who liked the French, thought Genêt had lost his mind. Washington demanded his recall.
It’s a weird bit of history, but Genêt ended up staying in America because if he’d gone back to France, he probably would have lost his head to the guillotine. Washington actually granted him asylum. It shows that even when he was being firm on foreign affairs George Washington still had a sense of pragmatism—and maybe a little bit of pity.
The Jay Treaty: The Most Hated Deal in History
If you think modern politics is divisive, you should look at the reaction to the Jay Treaty of 1794. Britain was seizing American ships and "impressing" (basically kidnapping) American sailors. They also still had troops in forts on American soil in the Northwest Territory. Washington sent John Jay to London to fix it.
The deal Jay brought back wasn't great. It didn't stop the British from messing with our ships in the future, but it did get them to leave the forts and opened up some trade in the West Indies. To the public, it looked like a total sell-out to the British Crown.
- Hamilton loved it because it secured trade and kept the tax revenue flowing.
- Jefferson hated it because it turned our backs on our French "brothers."
- The public threw rocks at John Jay’s house.
Washington hated the treaty too. He sat on it for months. But eventually, he realized the alternative was war with Britain, and that was a war he knew America would lose. He signed it. It was a classic "lesser of two evils" move. It kept the peace for another decade, which was exactly what the country needed to build its own strength.
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The Pinckney Treaty: A Rare Win
Not everything was a headache. While the Jay Treaty was causing riots, Thomas Pinckney was in Spain working on a different deal. The Spanish were nervous. They saw the Jay Treaty and worried the U.S. and Britain were teaming up to take Spanish territory in North America.
Because they were scared, they gave Pinckney almost everything he asked for in the Treaty of San Lorenzo (1795).
- Americans got the right to navigate the entire Mississippi River.
- They got the "right of deposit" in New Orleans, meaning they could store goods there for export.
- The border of Florida was settled where the U.S. wanted it.
This was huge. For farmers in the West (which back then was like Kentucky and Ohio), this was their entire livelihood. It's one of the few times in foreign affairs George Washington saw an easy, undisputed victory.
The Farewell Address: The Warning We Ignored?
By 1796, Washington was done. He was tired, his dentures hurt, and he wanted to go back to Mount Vernon. But he couldn't leave without dropping some wisdom. His Farewell Address—which was actually a newspaper essay, not a speech—is the most famous document regarding his views on the world.
He warned against "permanent alliances." He didn't mean we should be hermits. He just thought we shouldn't tie our fate to the drama of European powers. He said, "Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."
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Critics today sometimes call this isolationism. That's not quite right. Washington was a realist. He knew that as a small fish in a big pond, you don't survive by picking fights between the sharks. You survive by staying out of the way until you’re big enough to be a shark yourself.
How Washington’s Strategy Actually Worked
If Washington had listened to the protesters and joined France against Britain, the U.S. Navy would have been crushed instantly. Trade would have stopped. The government would have gone bankrupt. By playing the "neutrality" card, Washington allowed the American merchant fleet to grow into one of the largest in the world.
He understood that foreign policy isn't about being "nice" or "loyal"; it's about national interest. It’s about survival. He was willing to be the most hated man in America for a year if it meant the country would still exist in fifty years.
Actionable Takeaways from Washington's Diplomacy
Looking back at how Washington handled the world gives some pretty solid lessons for anyone dealing with high-stakes negotiations or leadership today:
- Patience is a weapon. Washington often waited for the European powers to exhaust themselves before making his move. In your own life, don't feel pressured to react to every "crisis" immediately.
- Know your leverage (or lack thereof). Washington knew he couldn't win a war, so he didn't start one. Being honest about your weaknesses is the only way to protect them.
- The "Long Game" beats the "Loud Game." The Jay Treaty was a PR nightmare, but a strategic success. Sometimes the right decision is the one that makes everyone mad at you in the short term.
- Check the fine print. The 1778 treaty with France was a "defensive" treaty. Washington used that specific wording to argue that since France started the war, we weren't obligated to help. Precision in language matters.
To truly understand Washington's impact, look into the specific texts of the Proclamation of Neutrality and the Pinckney Treaty. They show a leader who was less of a general and more of a master chess player, moving pieces slowly to ensure the American experiment didn't end before it truly began.