독립전쟁과 미국 외교의 발돋움 = The War of Independence and the Foundation of the Early American Diplomacy

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The decision to break away from the British rule put the American revolutionaries in a diplomatic dilemma. Americans had long attached themselves to the British. Having declared the independence, they now had to find a new way to deal with the European states. Given the American traditional mistrust of Europe, an independence from the British rule meant the detachment from the Old World. To many Americans, the two continents should remain as separate entities, extrinsic to one another. In reality, however, the American had to secure the European support to win the war with England. France, the traditional enemy of England, was the first European power who wanted to establish an alliance with America. Led by John Adams, the American leaders tried to stick to a principle of non-military and non-political but only commercial alliance. The Franco-American Alliance of 1778 was called a "Model Treaty." The Founding Fathers of the United States looked upon the treaty as a model guiding the new nation in dealing with the European powers.
Throughout the war of independence and the postwar years, the American leaders tried to continue the spirit and principles of the model treaty. As the victory seemed apparent with the decisive battle at Yorktown in 1781, the Americans pursued a diplomacy that would guard the new nation from making an unnecessary attachment to certain powers. By playing on the rivalry and jealousy of the European powers, the American delegates in Paris finalized the peace treaty in 1783, which allowed the new nation generous boundaries. The peace treaty and the independence came with uncertainty, however. The new nation was encircled by the hostile Europeans-this time not just English but French and Spanish-who were afraid of the United States becoming a formidable new power. The Founding Fathers had to find a solution quick to quell the instability of the nation, most of which was derived from the diplomatic dilemmas in one way or the other. While playing 'tough' with the European powers, the American leaders agreed to create a new constitution, which would give the central government sufficient authority to handle the diplomatic problems. Observing the gradual settlement of the United States, the Europeans powers had no alternative but to cooperate with the new nation. And the Founding Fathers were able to steer the nation toward the principle of isolation, neutrality, and non-intervention, without entangling her with the Old World.