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1 United States Isolationism

The 13 Colonies that would become the United States had little understanding of isolationism: most colonists knew no other life except that of nationalist Europe and willingly accepted both the protection and complications of a British colony. Thomas Paine is generally credited with having first instilled isolationist ideas into the American body politic. Several of the arguments put forth in Common Sense point out the political benefits of avoiding alliances. These ideas introduced by Paine took such a firm foothold that the Continental Congress struggled against forming an alliance with France and only agreed to do so when it was apparent that the war for independence could be won in no other manner.

"The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities."

President Thomas Jefferson affirmed the ardent isolationism of the young country in his inaugural address: "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none."

The isolationist torch was still burning strong in 1823 when President James Monroe articulated what would come to be known as the Monroe DoctrineThe Monroe Doctrine expressed in 1823, proclaimed the Americas should be free from future European colonization and free from European interference in sovereign countries' affairs. It further stated United States's intention to stay neutral in European wa: "In the wars of the European powers, in matters relating to themselves, we have never taken part, nor does it comport with our policy, so to do. It is only when our rights are invaded, or seriously menaced that we resent injuries, or make preparations for our defense."

Indeed, the United States mananged to maintain a state of political isolation throughout the 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended and the first part of the 20th century19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre. Few nations have been able to maintain such a stance for such a lengthy period of time. Historians have posited that this is largely due to a geography that is both detached and distant in relation to that of Europe.

The beginning of the 20th century19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre saw GermanThe Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland is one of the world's leading industrialized countries, located in the middle of the European Union. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to the east and JapaneseJapan (, Nippon/Nihon literally "the origin of the sun") is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido , Honsh imperialismImperialism is the policy of extending the control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct territorial control or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or challenge and later largely put an end to feelings of content isolationism enjoyed by the United States. The acquisition of the Philippine Islands during the Spanish-American WarThe Spanish-American War took place in 1898, and resulted in the United States of America gaining control over the former colonies of Spain in the Caribbean and Pacific. Background For several centuries Spain's position as a world power had been slipping put U.S. interests in to the western Pacific Ocean, squarely in the sights of Japan. The U.S. failed to perceive threats made against its unencumbered position. It took Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare during World War I to shake the neutral stance that the U.S. had cherished for so long. When the war ended, the U.S. was quick to leave behind its "entangling alliances;" both the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations found little congressional support.

The time between the World Wars saw a resurgence in isolationism in the United States. After the war broke out in Europe, such Americans as Charles Lindbergh and Gerald P. Nye prominently advocated U.S. neutrality.

Japan's 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor effectively dashed any hopes of the U.S. further maintaining isolationism, as suddenly it put the U.S. into World War II. The sanguine effects of geopolitical alliance did not evaporate with Allied victory: in contrast, the developing cold war would make them more desirable than ever. Today, the United States is far removed from its history of isolation. Through the United Nations, defensive agreements are in place with forty-four sovereign states.

A number of individuals in the contemporary U.S. are active in promoting a return to an isolationist foreign policy. These include progressives such as Ralph Nader, conservatives such as Pat Buchanan, and libertarians such as Justin Raimondo.