Essay Sample on French Declaration of War on England Tests US Neutrality

Introduction

The French declaration of war on England posed the biggest foreign policy crisis to the United States since the end of the American Revolution. The 1793 war declaration by French on England and the Dutch nation came at a time when the United States was reinforcing its constitution. France had a political-military alliance with the United States going back to the American Revolution. The United States had previously remained neutral and kept distance from the conflict; however, popular support and the French revolution was pushing for action in America. The discussion focuses on whether the United States should have joined the battle, an argument of Pacificus vs. Helvidious with the author having an incline towards Pacificus.

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The Essence of Upholding the Pacificus

The declaration of neutrality was held in the best interest of the nation. During the American fight for independence, France had significantly contributed to the success of the United States through military intervention as it had an interest in the outcome. On the other hand, the new war declared by France was between European nations where the United States had no interest. Hamilton announced this in several newspaper articles that were published. In one piece Hamilton declared that "As attempts are making very dangerous to the peace...it becomes the duty of those who wish well to both to endeavour to prevent their success." Several Pacificus declared that the essence of the treaty was the creation of a defensive alliance. The war that France was in was offensive; therefore, the United States had no obligation to get into it. President Hamilton view was that Self-preservation is the first duty of the nation. Since Britain and Spaniard's possessions surrounded the United States, it lacked the required fortification and thus a need for neutrality.

The nation had little or no duty to France under the prior treaty. The declaration of neutrality did not imply that the government was under obligation to perform the stipulations in the agreements that would make it a party or associate to a war. It was clear that any execution of the clause found in the 11th article of the alliance treaty with France would go against the spirit of the proclamation. This is because it would engage the United States or a section of its forces in a war. The intervention by the United States would be more of limited help; instead, it would go beyond what was previously thought. With the proclamation, it is evident that the United States was and is still under no obligation to execute any clause in the treaty.

The executive powers are vested in the president; he is also the commander in chief of the armed forces. The exceptions to the executive powers of the union between the nations are also lodged on the president. Congress recognizes the structure of the constitution in official acts after detailed consideration and debate. For instance, the removal of a president from office is an important issue that must be discussed by congress. With the reasons mentioned above, the proclamation of neutrality remains an executive act. With the executive power being held by the president, it was liable to declare that his action is within the execution of authority.

The power to declare war had not been vested in the legislature. Therefore, issues such as citizen sympathy and alignment should have had little impact on pushing the legislature to maintain an alignment towards any alliance. The legislature, however, has the power and is under the obligation to judge whether the nation should make war or not. Moreover, the legislature has the duty of seeing that the public is aware of various rules and agreements regarding making war. Through the legislature, there was a possibility of ending the proclamation of neutrality. However, the need to ensure public awareness and laws conformity align with the established powers. The Washington neutrality proclamation never made nor declared war, since the constitution did not limit President Hamilton from declaring neutrality, His declaration was constitutional, and parliament had to go by it.

The terms of the definition that obligated the United States to declare a position in the war were not clearly defined in the treaty. Those who objected this agree that the executive was tasked with judging and interpreting the articles that gave France certain privileges so that they could be reinforced. The critical part of this is that the executive must decide on the right bounds of the opportunities. The question of the rights that are given to other nations by the treaties signed, the laws of nature to be observed, and what the agreements permit concerning the countries must be answered. On the other hand, what were the reciprocal rights of the United States or the other powers that were at war? In such a scenario where there were layers of interest between the nations, the position taken by President Hamilton remained essential for the well being of the states. The essence of Alignment with France (Helvidious)

It is the duty of Congress to declare war. In this case, the Pacificus was made by the president even though he had no mandate to do so. Thus, there is a clear difference between the two entities. The declaration of the Pacificus was reached with an interest in the nation rather than the details of the treaty. The decision that France was on the offensive side did not take into consideration other aspects of war that could have triggered the nation to take the offensive side. With the president reaching neutrality stand within hours, it is clear that he acted beyond his constitutional mandate. The congress is tasked with dealing with foreign affairs except those assigned to the president in the constitution. Madison view was that several decision-makers ought to have been included in the war declaration. In one of his letters, he asserts, "the right of the legislature to declare war includes the right of judging whether the legislature is under obligations to make war or not," Madison had a strong basis for inclusivity of all interested parties using the applicable laws.

The United States would have developed a mutual interest and gained from a reciprocated advantage just like France did. France had been active in the United States fight for independence, and thus it was a moral duty of the United States to reciprocate. French Citizens within the United States were for the entrance of the United States into the war. With the legislature having little impact on the decision to join the war, it does not mean that there was no interest for her citizens to have a part in the war. The decision to ban all citizens from taking any role in the battle was not consultative enough.

Conclusion

The Pacificus Helvidious debate came at a time when the young nation was still stabilizing. It had no active military, and lots of internal issues still had to be streamlined. Washington neutrality proclamation was an indication of his intention to see that matters of national importance were given priority. Even though there may have been a basis for the United States to intervene and possibly gain massively from the war, there was no solid proof that the stakes were in its favor. The French Revolution marked a necessary test on the nation's foundation, and neutrality proved the ideal answer to the issue.

Bibliography

Garrity, Patrick. "The Pacificus-Helvidius Debates." The Pacificus-Helvidius Debates, 2013. https://www.claremont.org/crb/basicpage/the-pacificus-helvidius-debates/.

Hamilton, Alexander. The Pacificus-Helvidius Debates of 1793-1794: Toward the Completion of the American Founding - Online Library of Liberty, 2007. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/hamilton-the-pacificus-helvidius-debates-of-1793-1794.

National Archives. "Founders Online: 'Helvidius' Number 1, [24 August] 1793." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed October 28, 2019. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-15-02-0056.