Shortly after Washington was inaugurated in 1789, the French Revolution began. At first, most Americans cheered upon hearing the news. The French had helped the Americans in their struggle for independence, and their revolution seemed to embody many of the ideals of the American Revolution. The French Revolution brought fundamental changes to the feudal system in France, and it was aimed at attacking the absolutism of the French monarchy. France seemed to be following the American republican example by creating a constitutional monarchy where traditional elites would be restrained by written law. Where the king had previously held absolute power, now he would have to act within a constitution.

By 1793, the French Revolution had turned bloody. The leaders had executed the king and queen of France and thousands of French citizens, and they abandoned Christianity in favor of a new state religion based on reason. The French Revolution became far more radical than the American Revolution. In addition to a period of extreme public violence, which became known as the Reign of Terror, the French Revolution also attempted to enhance the rights and power of poor people and women. Public opinion in the United States started to divide. The violence of the French Revolution and its attack on religion and disregard of individual liberties offended many Americans. Others hailed the new republic as a copy of the United States.

When Britain and France went to war in 1793, some Americans, particularly in the South, sympathized with France. Others, especially manufacturers and merchants who traded with the British, favored Britain. Hamilton, Adams, and their supporters generally sided with the British. Jefferson was pro-French. A French victory, Jefferson reasoned, would help drive the British out of North America. Washington hoped that the nation could maintain its neutrality, or that it would not take sides in the conflict between France and Britain. As time went on, however, neutrality became increasingly difficult.

The French tried to involve the United States in their conflict with Britain. In April 1793, they sent diplomat Edmond Genêt to the United States. His mission was to recruit American volunteers to attack British ships. President Washington took action to discourage American involvement. On April 22, he issued a Proclamation of Neutrality. It prohibited American citizens from fighting in the war and barred French and British warships from American ports. Genêt’s plans eventually failed, but he did manage to sign up a few hundred Americans to serve on French ships. These ships seized British vessels and stole their cargoes before Washington ended their adventures by closing American ports.

Outraged by the French attacks at sea, the British began capturing American ships that traded with the French. The British also stopped American merchant ships and forced their crews into the British navy. This practice, known as impressment, infuriated the Americans. British attacks on American ships and sailors, along with the challenge in the West, pushed the nation closer to war with Great Britain.

Washington decided to make one last effort to come to a peaceful solution with Britain. He sent John Jay, chief justice of the Supreme Court, to negotiate. The British were willing to listen to Jay’s proposals. War with the United States would only make it harder to carry on the war with France, and the United States was Britain’s best market.

In Jay’s Treaty, the British agreed to withdraw from American soil, to pay damages for ships they had seized, and to allow some American ships to trade with British colonies in the Caribbean. The treaty also provided for settlement of debts from before 1776. Despite these gains few Americans approved of Jay’s Treaty. They protested that the treaty did not deal with the issue of impressment and did not mention British interference with American trade. Although Washington found fault with the treaty, he realized it would end an explosive crisis with Great Britain. He sent the treaty to the Senate, which narrowly approved it after a fierce debate.

When Jay’s Treaty was made, Spanish leaders realized that the United States and Great Britain could work together against the Spanish Empire in North America. Thomas Pinckney was sent to Spain to try to settle the differences between the two nations. In 1795, Pinckney’s Treaty gave the Americans free navigation of the Mississippi River and the right to trade at New Orleans.

In September 1796, Washington announced he would not seek a third term. By choosing to serve only two terms, Washington set a precedent that later presidents would follow. Plagued with a variety of ailments, the 64-year old president looked forward to retirement at Mount Vernon. He also felt troubled over the divisions that had developed in American politics and with what he considered a grave danger to the new nation: the growth of political parties.

Washington’s “Farewell Address” was published in a Philadelphia newspaper. In it, he attacked the evils of political parties and entanglement in foreign affairs. He also urged his fellow citizens to “observe good faith and justice toward all nations . . . Tis our policy to steer clear of permanent alliances.” Washington’s parting words influenced the nation’s foreign policy for more than 100 years. Washington died in 1799, only a couple of years after leaving office.