Important events in the international life of US

In comparison with Europe and its long life existence we can say that the history of America is a pretty short one. It is lacking more than 14 centuries of history but anyhow it has succeeded in imposing itself, and quite hardly I might say, on the highlight of the world stage. At its beginning a country made up especially from European immigrants, now America prides itself with its significant status of superpower, which in my opinion is due to its foreign policy, nowadays a subject of much debate, criticism and praise both domestically and abroad. When put in the situation of choosing three events that are important for the international life of US foreign relations, I must admit that I blocked. There are so many events and situations that are significant to the foreign relations that you can hardly choose three. Anyhow, I decided that the Louisiana Purchase, the Monroe Doctrine and the Spanish-American War are the most important ones and I will further try to explain why.

The Louisiana Purchase was in my opinion a significant moment in the life of America because it prevented a possible block of American trade access to the port of New Orleans, which as we all know was of critical port through its location because it controlled the Mississippi River.” Even before Jefferson became president, many Americans, and perceptive Spaniards as well, recognized that Louisiana, gained from France by Spain at the end of the American Revolution, was singularly vulnerable.”

The block could be made at any time, so the purchase of this territory was a must.

Jefferson, the president of US at that time, made the purchase by sending Levingston and Monroe to Paris for negotiating with France. The purchase was a real bargain because, while prepared to pay $10 millions only for New Orleans, the delegates received an offer of $15 million for the whole Louisiana. This was due to the hard situation of France in that period. Ending his peace with Britain, Napoleon tried to crush the Haitian revolution, but the army he sent met with defeat so the loss of Haiti made Louisiana strategically undesirable. We must also take into consideration US’s foreign policy situation at that moment, which was one that had a more regional focus.“ Like many Americans, especially other Republicans, Jefferson…believed the future of American society depended upon expansion, but neither even dreamed of acquiring the whole Louisiana territory at that time.” We must not forget their status during that period which was one of more or less neutrality. Only 10 years prior the Neutrality act of 1973 was being issued. In a nutshell, we may say that the acquisition of Louisiana didn’t only double the size of the United States , but, more than any other event in the Republican era it placed the nation on the road to world power.