Isolationism essays

Isolationism essays Isolationism is best defined as opposition to U.S. intervention in war outside the Western Hemisphere, particularly in Europe; to involvement in binding military alliances; and to participation in collective-security organizations. Historically, isolationists have sought above all to preserve the nations freedom of action, each action had an impact on the future. In contrast to pacifists, isolationists can favor unilateral military action. From the founding of the republic through the early twentieth century, the United States pursued an isolationist policy. In Common Sense (in the early 1776), Thomas Pain warned that continued ties to Britain tends directly to involve this continent in European wars and quarrels. John Adamss Model Treaty of 1776 envisioned a purely commercial treaty with France, a proposal the French rejected. Former President George Washingtons farewell address of 1796 advised his country to steer clear of permanent Alliances. In his first inaugural address in 1801, Thomas Jefferson sought peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none. Although the United States engaged in several major wars in the nineteenth century the war of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American War all these conflicts were fought unilaterally and therefore did not violate classic isolationist principles. But the years 1934-1937 marked the peak of isolationist activism. As more Americans endorsed collective action against rising dictatorships, isolationism became increasingly contested. As the word itself became more pejorative, isolationists preferred such terms as noninterventionist, hemispherist, nationalist, and continentalist the term favored by the historian Charles A. Beard. Classic isolationism ended on December 7, 1941, with the Japanese attack ...