Jay–Gardoqui Treaty
[2] With a weak central government that delegated most decisions to individual states, American foreign policy was disjointed.American nationalists realized the problem, and used the weakness in dealing with foreign powers as one of the reasons for installing a new constitution in 1789.Spain had numerous schemes to keep the new nation weak, including closing the Mississippi River to its traffic, and forming alliances with Indian tribes along its southern border.[4] American merchants and Eastern cities likewise wanted to open trade with the Spanish colonies which had been forbidden before 1775.[7] A year's worth of diplomacy resulted in the ambassadors signing an agreement that ignored the problem of the Mississippi in exchange for commercial advantages benefiting the Northeast (the Jay–Gardoqui Treaty).