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Difficulty: MediumWestward Migration, Frontier Conflicts, and Border Treaties

"The West derives from the East supplies requisite to its growth and comfort... [and] it must of necessity owe the secure enjoyment of indispensable outlets for its own productions to the weight, influence, and the future maritime strength of the Atlantic side of the Union, directed by an indissoluble community of interest as one nation. Any other tenure by which the West can hold this essential advantage, whether derived from its own separate strength, or from an apostate and unnatural connection with any foreign power, must be intrinsically precarious."
— George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

Which of the following historical developments most directly addressed the primary security and economic concern expressed by Washington in the excerpt?

  1. The negotiation of Pinckney's Treaty, which secured United States access to the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans.Answer
  2. B
    The ratification of the Jay Treaty, which led to the evacuation of British military posts in the Northwest Territory.
  3. C
    The passage of the Northwest Ordinance, which established a mechanism for admitting new states and outlawing slavery in the territory.
  4. D
    The military suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion, which demonstrated the strength of the federal government under the Constitution.

Answer

The negotiation of Pinckney's Treaty, which secured United States access to the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans.
The correct answer is correct because Washington's concern regarding 'indispensable outlets for [Western] productions' directly references the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans, which were controlled by Spain. Pinckney's Treaty (1795) resolved this issue by securing the right of free navigation on the Mississippi River and the right of deposit at New Orleans, satisfying Western settlers and reducing the likelihood of them seeking alliances with foreign powers.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the text of George Washington's Farewell Address (1796).
Identify that the primary concern is the potential for Western settlers to form 'unnatural connections' with foreign powers to secure 'indispensable outlets for [their] own productions.'
This establishes the core economic and geopolitical problem of frontier isolation and trade access.
2
Contextualize the geography of Western trade in the late eighteenth century.
Recognize that Western farmers relied heavily on the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans, which were controlled by Spain, to ship their goods to global markets.
This links Washington's mention of 'outlets' to the specific geographic bottleneck of the Mississippi River.
3
Identify the historical treaty that resolved this issue.
Pinckney's Treaty (1795), also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo, secured free navigation of the Mississippi River and the right of deposit in New Orleans for American merchants.
This directly matches the solution to the vulnerability Washington described, neutralizing Spain's leverage over Western settlers.

Key Concept

Westward Migration, Frontier Conflicts, and Border Treaties
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Westward Migration, Frontier Conflicts, and Border Treaties

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