entangling alliances with none

Cultural  

1. A phrase President Thomas Jefferson used in his first inaugural address in 1801, calling for a cautious, isolationist foreign policy. (See isolationism.)

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George Washington had given similar isolationist advice four years earlier in his Farewell Address: “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.”

Example Sentences

"Honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none, ... economy in the public expense, the honest payment of our debts, and sacred preservation of the public faith."

From A Short History of the United States by Channing, Edward

Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.

From Southern Literature From 1579-1895 A comprehensive review, with copious extracts and criticisms for the use of schools and the general reader by Manly, Louise

The young republic of the United States tried to follow the warning of Washington, "Friendship to all, entangling alliances with none."

From Stories of Old Kentucky by Purcell, Martha Grassham

Jefferson said: "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none."

From A History of the Republican Party by Platt, George Washington

He proclaimed America's well-known policy toward the European States: "Friendship with all, entangling alliances with none."

From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 14 by Various