La Liberté guidant le peuple by Eugéne Delacroix
In the aftermath of the French Revolution, war seemed inevitable in Europe, and sure enough, it arrived with celerity. France, led by a government of revolutionary minds, declared war on Great Britain, and by doing so threatened aggression to a great many other European countries. Not believing the Americans to be a necessary part of this conflict, and seemingly confident France would not declare war on them as well, Washington made the choice to declare neutrality in the war. Having just forged a nation on the backs of the American people, and just recently having come out of a war, he did not believe it wise to engage in another. This coupled with mixed American opinions on the French Revolution and the situation in Europe at the time caused him to make this declaration.
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