America's first two presidents, George Washington and John Adams, both resolutely
             adhered to the idea that America should endeavor to stay out of war at all times, and did
             everything in their power to evade declaring and entering into war. Throughout their
             reigns, war was ubiquitous in Europe, and many countries (especially Britain and France)
             made numerous attempts to obtain and secure America's support. Washington and
             Adams both believed that America should not side with any foreign country during times
             of war making the fundamental purport of America's first foreign policy the elusion of
             war at all costs. This policy was manifested throughout Washington and Adams'
             involvement in, and reactions to the following affairs: the Citizen Genet controversy, the
             One of Washington's initial attempts to pursue this policy was his counteraction
             to the Genet Affair. In 1793, George Washington proclaimed neutrality, thus declaring
             America an uninvolved, nonpartisan country in times of war. Simultaneously, Edmond
             Charles Genet was sent to the United States as a special representative from France to
             implore support in the French Revolution. Genet had previously resolved that the
             proclamation of neutrality was a "harmless little pleasantry designed to throw dust in the
             eyes of the British". Commencing in Charleston, South Carolina, Genet traveled
             throughout the United States presenting his credentials. In addition to his quest for
             support, he began to license American vessels to operate as privateers against British
             shipping and to grant French military commissions to a number of Americans in order to
             prepare expeditions against Spanish and British territorial claims in North America.
             These two actions were in direct defilement of American law. Washington demanded
             that he cease his unlawful actions, but Genet continued to commission privateers because
             he enti...