Key Figures

Woodrow Wilson: President from 1913-1921. Wilson also proposed the "fourteen points" as an outline for the peace treaty. Although his ideas were involved in the final Treaty of Versailles, the US Congress disapproved of the League Of Nations.

George Washington: Very 1st president of the United States, from 1789-1797. He was the "father" of the first American Neutrality Act in 1794. It involved the principle of his proclamation of Neutrality the year before. In his 1796 farewell address, he acknowledge that his policy should be continued.

Thomas Jefferson: The 3rd president of the United States, from 1801-1809. He was the principle author of the 1776 Declaration of Independence. Jefferson decided he would allow British ships to trade in our ports to support the import duties, but he wouldn't allow American exporters or shippers to trade our goods with either France or Britain. The 1807 Embargo Act allowed him to pick and choose who could ignore the Embargo Act (individual ships).