Avoiding the Old World: Anglo-American Relations and the Formation of U.S. Isolationism, 1783–1823

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-601-7_3How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Anglo-American Relations; Isolationism; National Identity Formation

Abstract

This paper reexamines the development of American isolationism from 1783 to 1823, arguing that it was not an inherent ideological principle but a product of evolving Anglo-American relations. Isolationism, the study contends, arose from a dynamic process in which economic dependence on Britain gave way to political resistance and ultimately to assertions of autonomy. Through analysis of the Jay Treaty (1794), the War of 1812, and the Monroe Doctrine (1823), the paper shows how pragmatic compromises and conflicts gradually transformed into a coherent narrative of independence. Using both primary documents and revisionist scholarship, it demonstrates that isolationism was a strategic discourse shaped by historical circumstance rather than a timeless American instinct. Rather than signifying disengagement from global affairs, early isolationism reflected an effort to redefine the nation’s place within the Atlantic system dominated by Britain. By framing U.S. foreign policy as an act of identity construction through differentiation, the study challenges the exceptionalist tradition and reveals isolationism as an adaptive response to external power relations. Ultimately, it argues that isolationism represented not a retreat from Europe, but a reconfiguration of America’s relationship with it—an assertion of dignity and self-determination amid structural constraints.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yuning Wu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/06
TI  - Avoiding the Old World: Anglo-American Relations and the Formation of U.S. Isolationism, 1783–1823
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 2nd International Conference on Education Reform, Ideology and Politics (ERIP 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 12
EP  - 20
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-601-7_3
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-601-7_3
ID  - Wu2026
ER  -