Armin Rappaport and
William Earl Weeks
Freedom of the seas is one of the original and most important principles in the history of American foreign policy. American statesmen have, in essence, defined it as the right of all peoples to travel unmolested in international waters in both war and peace. Historically, it has been one of the chief means by which the United States has influenced international affairs; the vigorous assertion of the principle of freedom of the seas has been a major cause of four armed conflicts: the Quasi-War with France in 1798, the Barbary Wars, the War of 1812, and World War I.
See also BLOCKADES; CIVIL WAR DIPLOMACY; THE CONTINENTAL SYSTEM; EMBARGOES AND SANCTIONS; INTERNATIONAL LAW; NEUTRALITY.