一七七六年“条约计划”及其对美国早期外交的影响

The Treaty Plan of 1776 and its Influence on Early American Diplomacy

1776年"条约计划"是英属北美十三个殖民地宣布独立之后在对外关系上的第一个重要文件,主要是为这个新独立国家派往法国等欧洲大陆国家的代表提供一个与这些国家王室或政府进行谈判的条约蓝本。大陆会议制定"条约计划"的前提是美国不卷入大洋彼岸的政治事务,只能以互惠的商业往来谋得法国等国对美国独立事业的支持。这种意识形态取向反映了"条约计划"起草者约翰.亚当斯那一代人对美国在国际社会所扮演角色的"定位"。这一重要文件对美国早期外交产生了非常大的影响,美国早期外交的活动基本上限定在"条约计划"已经确定好的框架之内,奠定了美国政府早期对外政策的基础。

The Treaty Plan of 1776 was the first important foreign relations document of the thirteen British colonies in North America following their declaration of independence. Its main purpose was to provide a blueprint for representatives sent by the newly independent nation to France and other European countries to negotiate with royal courts or governments. The premise of the Continental Congress in formulating the Treaty Plan was that the United States would not become entangled in political affairs across the ocean; the support of France and other countries for American independence was to be won solely through mutually beneficial commercial activities. This ideological orientation reflects the thinking of the drafters of the Treaty Plan, represented by John Adams, on the role the United States should play in the international community of the time. This important document greatly influenced early American diplomacy and laid the foundations for the early foreign policy of the United States government. Early American diplomatic activities basically fell within the framework established by the Plan.