Washington's OTHER Foreign Policy Problem

Following the British defeat in the American Revolution, Great Britain had agreed to remove all military bases and troops west of the Appalachian Mountains. However, in the 1790s the troops remained and were supplying several Native American tribes with weapons for their struggle against American settlers. During the war between France and Britain, British warships began attacking American merchant ships heading towards Europe and even seized American sailors, claiming that they were runaways from the British Navy. The British government banned all American ships from trading with their Caribbean colonies angering Northern merchants. The destruction of American property and the kidnapping of U.S. citizens caused outrage in the U.S. and there was talks of going to war with Britain over the matter.

To try and put an end to the crisis, George Washington sent John Jay to Great Britain to negotiate a treaty. Jay was an established lawyer from New York who was appointed the nation's first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Jay worked closely with Hamilton, and had strong Federalists views of the government. Washington wanted Jay to solve the following issues:

1. Britain should compensate (pay for damages) American slave owners for slaves that were taken to Britain or Canada during the American Revolution

2. The British were to stop seizing American ships and sailers

3. The British were to withdraw all soldiers from lands west of the Appalachian Mountains

4. The British West Indies should be reopened for trade

5. American merchants should be compensated for the captured or damages ships

When Jay arrived in London he quickly realized that it would be almost impossible to get Britain to agree on all the issues. The British government knew that the Americans relied on them for trade and that the strength of the British navy would dissuade the U.S. from going to war with them. The British did not want to fight a war with the Americans, and were ready to agree on resolving some of the issues. After meeting with Jay the British decided upon the following:

1. American bankers and citizens would finish paying back British banks debts

2. The British would compensate American ship owners for their losses

3. The British forts would be evacuated and the soldiers returned to England by the end of the decade.

4. American merchants would be allowed to trade in the Caribbean again