How did the desires and actions of American settlers influence American foreign policy in the early 1800s?

Question

How did the aspirations and efforts of Americans to settle beyond the boundaries of the United States create political, economic, and military opportunities and challenges for the federal government?

Answer 1

Answer: An ideal answer will:
1. Discuss how the insatiable desire for additional, inexpensive land by American settlers pushing westward and into Florida led American foreign policy to be more aggressive, pragmatic, and expansionist in the early 1800s than initially anticipated by a young, Jeffersonian republic with a relatively small army and navy. The Louisiana Purchase should be cited as one clear example of pragmatic Jeffersonian foreign policy in this regard.
2. Discuss how the aggressive push of American settlers into the Ohio and Indiana Territories after the Louisiana Purchase set the stage for conflict with Great Britain and their Indian allies in these western territories.
3. Discuss how the hopes of American settlers to push beyond its national borders even led Americans to conceive of conquering Canada as part of War of 1812, despite possessing a relatively small U.S. Army, a miniscule U.S. Navy, and untested state militias in going up against the world supreme military power in Great Britain.
4. Discuss how the hopes of American settlers to push beyond its national borders led the United States to acquire all of Florida from Spain for $5 million through the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819, despite the precarious financial situation of the United States after the conclusion of the War of 1812.
5. Discuss how American settlers' interest in the Northwest led the United States to conclude the Anglo-American Convention in 1819, in which Britain and the United States agreed to joint control of the Oregon Country for 10 years, staking a serious American claim to the Pacific Northwest region.
6. Discuss how the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine by President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams in 1823 reflected the political influence of American settlers who had put acquiring Texas, California, and New Mexico (all held by Spain at this time) on the political agenda in the near future either by negotiation with Spain or by military action.
7. Discuss how the territorial push beyond America's borders in the above-described instances strained the military and economic capacities of the United States and seemed to run counter to the pure, unadulterated political ideals of Jeffersonian republicanism.
8. Write a concise and effective conclusion.