Use the excerpt to answer the question. Washington longed to retire to his fields at Mount Vernon. But he soon realized that the Nation under its Articles of Confederation was not functioning well, so he became a prime mover in the steps leading to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously elected Washington President. He did not infringe upon the policy making powers that he felt the Constitution gave Congress. But the determination of foreign policy became preponderantly a Presidential concern. When the French Revolution led to a major war between France and England, Washington refused to accept entirely the recommendations of either his Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who was pro-French, or his Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who was pro-British. Rather, he insisted upon a neutral course until the United States could grow stronger. —WhiteHouse.gov Question Based on evidence from your text, why did Washington reject the advice of both Jefferson and Hamilton and adopt a policy of neutrality?

Answer 1

Based on the evidence from the text, Washington rejected the advice of both Jefferson and Hamilton and adopted a policy of neutrality because he believed that the United States needed to grow stronger before getting involved in foreign conflicts, such as the war between France and England.