A Brief History of the United StatesSteele, Joel Dorman
History
A Brief History of the United States
Steele, Joel Dorman
United States -- History
_Indian Wars_.--Two armies sent against the Indians of the
northwest were defeated. At last General Wayne--"Mad Anthony"--was
put in command. Little Turtle, the Indian chief, now advised peace,
declaring that the Americans had "a leader who never slept." But
his counsel was rejected, and a desperate battle was fought on the
Maumee (Aug. 20, 1794). Wayne routed the Indians, chased them a
great distance, laid waste their towns for fifty miles, and at last
compelled them to make a treaty whereby they gave up all of what is
now Ohio and part of Indiana.
[Footnote: He told them, it is said, that if they ever violated
this agreement he would rise from his grave to fight them. He was
long remembered by the western Indians.]
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.--_England_.--Hardly had the war closed when
complaints were made in England that debts could not be collected
in America. On the other hand the Americans charged that the
British armies had carried off their negroes, that posts were still
held on the frontier, and that our seamen were impressed. Chief
Justice Jay was sent as envoy extraordinary to England. He
negotiated a treaty, which was ratified by the Senate (1795), after
violent opposition.
[Footnote: This treaty enforced the payment of the English debts,
but did not in turn forbid the impressment of American seamen. Its
advocates were threatened with personal violence by angry mobs.
Hamilton was stoned at a public meeting. Insults were offered to
the British minister, and Jay was burned in effigy. The more quiet
people expressed their indignation by passing resolutions
condemning the action of the Senate.]
_Spain and Algiers_.--The same year a treaty was made with Spain,
securing to the United States the free navigation of the Mississippi,
and fixing the boundary of Florida, still held by that nation. Just
before this, a treaty had been concluded with Algiers, by which our
captives were released and the Mediterranean commerce was opened to
American vessels.
_France_.--The Americans warmly sympathized with France, and
when war broke out between that country and England, Washington had
great difficulty in preserving neutrality. He saw that the true
American policy was to keep free from all European alliances. Genet
(je-nay), the French minister, relying on the popular feeling, went
so far as to fit out, in the ports of the United States, privateers
to prey on British commerce. He also tried to arouse the people
against the government. At length, at Washington's request, Genet
was recalled. But, as we shall see, the difficulty did not end.
POLITICAL PARTIES.--During the discussion of these various
questions two parties had arisen. Jefferson, Madison, and Randolph
became leaders of the republican party, which opposed the United
States Bank, the English treaty, and the assumption of the State
debts. Hamilton and Adams were the leaders of the federalist party,
which supported the administration.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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