At the turn of the nineteenth century, U.S. citizens tested the parameters and powers of their new federal government and expanded their horizons beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The circumstances were largely favorable for Americans starting a new type of government on a sparsely populated continent—the two European powers likeliest to challenge U.S. claims in North America, Britain and France, were locked in a war with each other. On occasion, either power showed an interest in American affairs but largely because the United States was the most important trading power for both belligerents.