Essay On 19th Century American Affairs

In the first two decades of the nineteenth century United States established its political, legal, diplomatic and social connections with the rest of the world, particularly with Great Britain. America's prestige and influence grew during this time. Diplomats toiled to keep European influence out of America's westward expansion (The Office of the Historian). However, European affairs did impact America. This brief essay examines those influences. European affairs in the first two decades of the nineteenth century impacted development of the United States of America. By 1800, Spain had closed the Mississippi River to American settlers. Once France acquired the vast land areas, the U.S. wanted to buy it to open western settlement and provide markets for its goods to European ports. Napoleon's struggles in Europe and the Caribbean required large amounts of financing to fight the British Navy. For him, this justified selling the Louisiana territory. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) resolved some of America's concerns about British, French, Spanish and Native American tribal land control, opened the western territories to settlement, redefined the western frontier and impacted significantly the young country's relations with European nations ("American History: The 19th
Barbary pirates, British and French captains captured American sailors on the high seas and made them virtual slaves on their ships. British actions on the frontier, especially in the Northwest Territory where they encouraged Indians to stay on the land to hold settlers in check, threatened America's westward development. The U.S. Congress declared war in June 1812. The British stretched its military and financial capabilities but eventually lost the war ("American History: The 19th Century, The Barbary Wars and War of 1812 (1812-15)"; Schneid,