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...