Is it wrong for a president to do what he thinks is best for his country? As a young nation – having just finished a costly war – could America afford to get involved in another conflict with nations more powerful than itself? Madison – like Adams and Jefferson – had to deal with Washington's foreign policy. Unlike other presidents, Madison felt that foreign policy was not right; so he changed it from isolationism to intervention. The previous foreign policy – ​​known as isolationism – meant that America had to try to stay out of disputes between adversary countries. After Madison changed American policy, it became known as intervention: America's duty was to defend itself. Madison did many things before changing foreign policy; he engaged in peace talks with other national leaders, followed through on what he told the world, and when diplomacy failed, he and Congress declared war to protect our young nation. Madison was absolutely justified in changing US foreign policy from isolationism to interventionism. While Madison faced many hardships, she also made many excellent choices. While Madison attempted to resolve his problems through negotiation, isolationism failed to ensure the nation's security. Madison tried to solve his problems by talking to the leaders of Great Britain and France. “If you agree to stop attacking…” Madison said, “…the United States will stop trading with your enemy” (Hart 168). This reveals how at first the surgery seemed so far-fetched and out of the question and the surgery was a top priority. In Madison's mind, this seemed like a reasonable request, but apparently, for Napoleon and the King of England, it was too much to ask. Although Napoleon readily accepted Madison's advice... half-paper... the seizure of our ships is not much cheaper. “From 1807 to 1812, more than nine hundred American ships were seized by Great Britain or France” (“The War of 1812: Trade Embargoes”). This means that 200 ships were seized in just one year. Either way, that's a lot of money down the drain, especially considering the size of the United States at the time. Each ship contained paid workers, loved ones, expensive supplies, the cost of replacing the ship, and because of all these seizures, no more international trade. If this doesn't put the American economy in a bad position, I don't know what will. Citizens would ask themselves: if we don't act clearly, how much more will we lose? Every ship we send into the Atlantic Ocean is fair game. Either Britain or France will attack every ship out there and – without intervention – there is nothing we can do.