Volume 15 documents the period from 1 January through 30 April
1794, a time when Washington continued to focus his efforts as
president on preventing the United States from becoming entangled
in the continuing war between France and Great Britain. Of
particular concern was French and British interference with
American shipping, despite claims of neutral rights by the United
States. Congress reacted to this problem in late March by declaring
a thirty-day embargo on all ships and vessels in American ports,
and the Washington administration enforced this resolution, as well
as a series of earlier Cabinet decisions regarding the presence of
foreign privateers and their prizes in American ports.
The threat of U.S. involvement in the war led Congress to pass
legislation designed to increase the military strength of the
United States. As a result, Washington and Secretary of War Henry
Knox directed the construction of coastal fortifications, the
establishment of federal armories, and the creation of an American
navy. The European war also produced an exodus of refugees to the
United States from the French colony of Saint Domingue and a
subsequent federal program of monetary relief, which the
administration oversaw.
The question of neutral rights, the threat of an Indian war in
the Northwest Territory, British retention of military posts in
American territory, and a desire for a favorable trade agreement
prompted Washington to appoint John Jay as envoy extraordinary to
Great Britain in order to resolve these issues. At the same time,
other U.S. diplomats continued their efforts to reach an
understanding with Spain over the right of free navigation of the
Mississippi River by Americans, Indian unrest in the Southwest
Territory, and the boundary between Georgia and Florida, as well as
to obtain a commercial treaty between the two nations.
In an effort to manage his Mount Vernon farms while residing in
Philadelphia, Washington regularly sent detailed instructions to
William Pearce, his newly hired estate manager. Of particular
concern were the implementation of a five-year plan of crop
rotation designed by Washington in 1793 and the acquisition of a
sufficient supply of buckwheat and other seed for spring planting.
Washington continued to be a benevolent benefactor for his extended
family, particularly his sister, Betty Washington Lewis, and his
orphaned niece, Harriot Washington. He also directed the
refurbishment of his house in Alexandria, Va., for Frances Bassett
Washington, the widow of his nephew George Augustine Washington,
and he made arrangements to purchase lots in the new Federal
City.
General
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