One of the main concerns of current politics is a foreign issue: the war in Afghanistan. You wouldn't consider supporting a politician without knowing where he stands on this issue. A foreign issue with a prominent place in domestic politics will significantly influence the political landscape. In the 1796 American presidential election, another foreign question dominated domestic politics: how to respond to the French Revolution and maintain American neutrality. Prominent politicians of the time had many different opinions. George Washington focused on the importance of remaining neutral during the end of his second term. John Adams inherited the problem when he took office. However, his views clashed with those of his vice president Thomas Jefferson who favored affiliation with the French. Adams also disagreed with Alexander Hamilton, a leader of the Federalist Party with which Adams was supposed to be affiliated. Hamilton and the Federalists were firmly against any negotiations with France. Because Republican Party leader Thomas Jefferson saw the French Revolution as a continuation of the American Revolution, a movement that Republicans were sure would travel around the world. They considered the French revolutionaries heroic patriots. England, which had taken advantage of France's weakness after the revolution and attacked, was therefore the villain. They had therefore been extremely opposed to the Jay Treaty, a treaty created with England under Washington's administration in 1794, and favored a Franco-American alliance. But when Napoleon took over in 1800, Jefferson was quick to change his position. The federalists, however, were against an alliance with France. Hamilton was a prominent Federalist and... middle of paper... something to be condemned and the Republicans something to defend. The French Revolution also tested Washington's resolve to remain neutral. When war broke out between England and France, Washington chose to make a treaty with England to protect the union and give it time to grow. The challenge of remaining neutral also plagued Adams. He had to attempt to navigate the rocky waters between France and England, as well as those between Federalists and Republicans; both had limited success. This foreign issue is just one example of many that have shaped domestic politics over the years. Other examples include Texas' fight for independence from Spain, the spread of the Industrial Revolution, and the tension in Europe surrounding both World Wars. However, the politicians of early America had no history to look back on for guidance.