Dylan+F.+-+American+Foreign+Policy+Essay

Dylan Finkbeiner Period 1 3/16/10 Madison’s Justified War “There is a time for everything…a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,8 NIV). In 1812, there was such a time for war. Our fourth president, James Madison, was faced with a decision between declaring war on Great Britain or not. Great Britain was stealing American trade ships, and aroused anger in the U.S. by aiding Native Americans who were battling American settlers in the Northwest. Madison attempted to solve these issues in a nonviolent manner at first, but when all else failed he declared war on Great Britain. Madison was just in doing so. Moreover, he was justified in adapting U.S. foreign policy from isolationism to intervention.

The foremost reason that justifies Madison’s actions was the fact that there wasn’t a practical alternative. Madison and former president Thomas Jefferson had tried diplomatic efforts, but they all failed. As stated in History Alive, “Jefferson tried desperately to convince both France and Britain to leave American ships alone. All of his efforts failed” (Hart 167). Jefferson also attempted an embargo. Madison offered a deal to the two quarreling European countries: As stated in History Alive, “If you agree to stop attacking American ships, the United States will stop trading with you enemy” (Hart 168). Clearly, Madison and Jefferson exhausted all diplomatic solutions. Therefore, war was the only viable solution left to prevent Great Britain from continuing to seize American ships.

Not only had all of Madison’s options been exhausted, but also the British even incited war! They provoked the United States by supplying Native Americans with guns to fight westbound American settlers. As stated in “War of 1812” resource, “ The people of the Northwest were meeting armed resistance in their attempt to take more land from the Indians, and they believed that the Indians had considerable British support…Indians attacked an American army, and British guns were found on the battlefield ” (War of 1812). This shows that Great Britain assisted the Native Americans in preventing United States expansion, something Madison couldn’t simply ignore. Madison could not merely sit back and watch European countries impede the development of the United States; he needed to prove to Europe that America was capable of defending itself, and would no longer let European countries take advantage of it. Some of my respectable colleagues believe that Madison made the wrong decision by changing foreign policy from isolationism to intervention. Peter Kennedy stated, “…I still believe that if Madison would have just waited it out with Britain and France [they] would have eventually realized they needed American supplies and would have stopped taking our ships anyways” (Peter K. S 3 – Not justified). You are dreadfully mistaken, Peter. Britain and France would not have discontinued seizures based on a lack of American imports. Former president Thomas Jefferson held the same belief during his presidency. He wanted to close off trade with European countries entirely. As stated in History Alive, “When diplomacy failed, Jefferson proposed an embargo—a complete halt in trade with other nations” (Hart 167). Jefferson thought that the embargo would be devastating to the Britain and France. Like you, Peter, he thought Britain and France would come to their senses and stop seizing American ships.

However, the embargo failed miserably. “The embargo…proved far more painful to the Americans than to anyone in Europe” (Hart 167). The embargo cost tens of thousands of seamen their jobs; it was ridiculed by American journalists; and was finally repealed in 1809. The aforementioned suggestion to “wait it out” would have been wildly unpopular in Congress, and, moreover, impractical.

The war, it turned out, was even incredibly profitable. While war is not always the right course of action, the benefits of the War of 1812 far outweighed the losses. As stated in the “War of 1812” source, “ In the long period of peace after 1815, the British had no occasion to make use of impressments or blockades. Indian troubles in the Northwest were practically ended by the death of the chief Tecumseh and by the rapid settlement of the region” (War of 1812). Additionally, U.S. national patriotism soared as a result of the victory at New Orleans. This shows that the war indirectly solved the dilemmas the U.S. had prior to it, and then some. The United States became a respected and feared nation, capable of defeating the most formidable opponent in the world twice.

Madison was justified in changing American foreign policy from isolationism to intervention for three completely valid reasons. First, he had exhausted all other options. Second, Great Britain provoked the U.S. Additionally; the benefits of the war were grand. Recall the first sentence of this essay, a quote from Ecclesiastes. There is a time for literally everything, including war. War is not always justified, but it is inevitable. Madison was absolutely justified in adapting U.S. foreign policy—remaining neutral would have done more harm than good.