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The first foreign policy of the United States was neutrality. Just overcoming the English and getting liberty, the US faced the difficult undertaking of forming a new country. In an attempt to protect themselves from taking part in the quarrels of the Europeans and focusing on domestic affairs, a path of neutrality was followed. The roots of this first strategy can be seen as early as the administration of George Washington. Soon after Washington's inauguration …

…would be met by US non-involvement in European affairs. Essentially it reciprocated European neutrality in the Americas with US neutrality in Europe. While not well received by the European nations, many ignoring the statement by the then weak American government, the Monroe Doctrine did establish a key policy in our foreign affairs and reinforce the message of neutrality established by Washington. This would prove the main US foreign policy up through the US Civil War.