Abstract
What was the effect of American diplomacy on the Ottoman State, 1774-1837? Where ever possible American primary documents including those of the State Department, Annals of Congress, Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, Papers of James Madison, Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Documents on American Foreign Relations, et al, are cited. American foreign policy slowly evolved to become more systematic and structured during and after the Revolutionary War. Following the War, Congress approved the French Alliance but in a few years overturned it and approved a British Alliance. The change was expressed by the John Jay Treaty that included attacks on President George Washington who supported it. In Washington's Farewell Address, he warned against European diplomatic entanglements while simultaneously recognizing that they may be needed from time to time. American foreign intervention grew apace during the wars with the Barbary Pirates which saw the development of the American Navy and the consulate corps as instruments of foreign policy. These all came to a head with the Greek War of Independence of 1821-1827. While American public opinion was heavily pro Greek, including demands by members of Congress to give direct aid to the Greek provisional government, President James Monroe opposed it. A resolution by Daniel Webster of Boston favoring the Greek cause was defeated in the House of Representatives despite the knowledge of the members that major supporters of noninvolvement were New Englanders in the slave trade and in the Smyrna-Cantonopium trade. While some voted against Webster because of Washington's admonition,others used it as an excuse. The non-involvement policy later coalesced in the creation of the Monroe Doctrine. In 1774, prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, the United States sought formal diplomatic relations with the Ottoman State. From the initial contact with the Ottoman Empire by the United States Navy in 1800, these feeling were also expressed by Ottoman officials including the Sultan. Despite efforts by both parties, it was not until 1830 that a Treaty of Commerce and Navigation was finally signed by the Sultan and ratified by the United States.