Final answer:
Early American foreign policy is best described as isolationist, grounded in the advice of founders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to avoid entangling alliances with Europe, focusing instead on peaceful trade. Changes occurred in the late nineteenth century as the U.S. adopted an imperialist approach, extending its influence by controlling other nations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The word that best describes early American foreign policy is isolationism. Early American leaders like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington advised against forming entangling alliances with European powers. This non-interventionist stance was intended to keep the young nation out of European conflicts and to foster peaceful trade without political complications. However, this policy underwent significant changes in the late nineteenth century as the United States moved towards imperialism, which involved extending control over other nations for political, economic, and military benefits, marking a shift from isolationist to interventionist policies.
In addition to isolationism and imperialism, foreign policy concepts such as the Monroe Doctrine further defined the early American approach, establishing the Western Hemisphere as the U.S. sphere of interest while avoiding entanglement in European affairs. These early policies laid the groundwork for America's gradual emergence as a global power, a transition that has been the topic of historical debate regarding the motives and the constitutional implications of expanding the nation's international influence.