Navigating Neutrality: Early American Governance in the Turbulent Atlantic by Sandra Moats

Abstract

Reviewed by: Navigating Neutrality: Early American Governance in the Turbulent Atlantic by Sandra Moats Aaron Chin (bio) Keywords Early U.S. republic, Neutrality, Foreign relations, George Washington, Law of nations, State-building Navigating Neutrality: Early American Governance in the Turbulent Atlantic. By Sandra Moats. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2021. Pp. 212. Paper, $29.50.) Although the United States won its independence, the young nation remained deeply—at times dangerously—intertwined with European empires. [End Page 456] The nation's first major foreign policy crisis erupted in 1793 when the United States had to decide whether to support the French Republic as its revolution took a radical turn and warred with much of Europe. In April of that year, George Washington and his Cabinet issued the Neutrality Proclamation, which stated that the United States would be "impartial" in its relations with all parties. But this was easier said than done. Americans, French, and British regularly violated this policy. Washington's administration would have to take proactive steps to implement this neutrality. As Sandra Moats convincingly argues in Navigating Neutrality: Early American Governance in the Turbulent Atlantic, the government's implementation of the Neutrality Proclamation marked a critical period in American state-building. As Moats shows throughout this brief but informative book, "enforcing neutrality contributed to America's transformation from a paper republic into an autonomous nation fully embracing its constitutional responsibilities" (1). In Moats's view, Washington himself played a crucial role in steering the nation through this delicate international situation. The first half of the book explores the American experience with neutrality before and during the Revolution, as well as why Washington's administration adopted this position in 1793. While still part of the British Empire, American sailors enjoyed trade during peace and privateering during war. Once the United States declared its independence, however, it learned the hard way that navigating neutrality as an in de pen dent nation presented new challenges. As president, Washington drew from his own experiences to address these problems. As a veteran of the Seven Years' War and a regular correspondent with French observers passing on news of their own revolution, Washington decided neutrality was the best approach. The second half of the book explores how the United States implemented neutrality. By soliciting input from the entire Cabinet and issuing a single statement, Washington set the precedents of taking initiative and speaking with a unified voice regarding foreign policy. In the following months, the executive branch issued several statements and implemented policies to enforce neutrality amid rampant violations by all parties. When Congress returned to session, both chambers supported Washington and passed legislation to back neutrality. In addition, the Supreme Court ruled that only American courts—not foreign ones—could rule on admiralty cases in the United States. Finally, the U.S. sent diplomatic personnel to promote its neutral interests across the world. By the end of 1794, the federal government had created a series of enforcement [End Page 457] mechanisms that gave neutrality teeth and contributed to the growth and consolidation of the American state. Moats's work primarily contributes to studies of American state-building in the early republic. These works focus on the steps the federal government took to consolidate the nation during its early years. Some scholars have focused on the international dimensions of this state-building process, emphasizing things like America's "treaty worthiness" and its adherence to the "law of nations" and "law of merchants" that moderated the interactions between powers. Other scholars have focused on the domestic aspects of this process, emphasizing the standardization of America's currency regime and the consolidation of the nation's debt. Moats's work cuts across both the international and domestic, making a convincing case for how the federal government strengthened the American state by carefully managing developments at home and abroad. The text, as the author notes, also engages with the New Diplomatic History. Moats draws from an impressive array of sources to make a strong argument. Writings by Washington, his Cabinet, and their foreign interlocutors make up the core of the source base. Letters, Cabinet Notes, and government reports appear frequently in the endnotes. Moats also shows a command...