-
Election of George Washington
This was the first presidential election of the United States. George Washington became the president. He was a war hero from the Revolutionary War and a universally liked American so he was an obvious choice to be president. -
Period: to
Presidential Timeline
-
Bill of Rights Added to the Constitution
The BIll of Rights was added to the Constitution on December 15, 1791. This was a list of the basic rights that each U.S. citizen had. It guaranteed that each person would have these rights. -
Beginning of Federalist Party
In 1792, newspapers were calling Hamilton supporters Federalists. It was the dominant political group in the United States up until about the War of 1812. -
Beginning of Democratic-Republican Party
The Democratic-Republican Party was founded by James Madison in roughly 1792. After around 1800, Democratic-Republicans dominated the U.S. Congress. It began to fall apart in 1824. -
Whiskey Rebellion
In the Whiskey Rebellion, federal authorities placed taxes on wheat so that the government could collect money to reduce the national debt. Farmer were so unhappy that they decided to protest, but this was quickly stopped by President George Washington. -
Election of John Adams
The Election of John Adams took place in 1796 against his running mate Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson won the most votes, but the electoral college gave the presidency to Adams. -
XYZ Affair
The French were attacking U.S. ships. President John Adams sent three representatives to try to negotiate with France. France sent three unnamed agents, later to be known as X, Y, and Z, and demanded a bribe before they would negotiate. American were insulted by this, and sided with the British after this incident that became known as the XYZ Affair. -
Sedition Act
The Sedition Act was an act that was enacted on July 14, 1798 that was enacted by President John Adams. It made it illegal to write or publish false or negative statements about the government or anyone in government. -
Alien Act
The Alien Act was an act that was enacted on July 16, 1798 that was signed by President John Adams. It extended the number of year that an immigrant (alien) had to live in the U.S. to become a U.S. Citizen. -
Election of Thomas Jefferson
The Election of Thomas Jefferson on December 3, 1800 was the most controversial election in U.S. history. It was between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams- Jefferson crushed his opponent by a landslide winning presidency. -
John Marshall Appointed
John Marshall was appointed in 1801 as the 4th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Unites States. He took on many controversial cases bringing honor to the Supreme Court which had basically no respect at the time. -
Marbury v. Madison
On Adams' last day in office, he appointed Marbury to be a justice of the peace. When Jefferson took office, he obtained a repeal and refused to grant Marbury's commision. Marbury then sued the incoming Secretary of State, James Madison. This formed the basis for Judicial Review. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was signed in 1803, doubling the size of America under President Thomas Jefferson. France gave it over for about 15 million dollars. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was an expedition conducted by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. It was from the years 1804 to 1806. After the Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson sent out Lewis and Clark to explore the newly gained land by following the Missouri River. -
Embargo Act
The Embargo Act in 1807 was a law that imposed a total ban on foreign trade. -
Election of James Madison
The Election of James Madison was in 1808, winning because more people were foting for the Republicans. -
Non-Intercourse Act
The Non-Intercourse Act was a law that was established in March of 1809 that allowed Americans to carry on trade with all nations except Britain and France. -
Closing of the U.S. Bank
The country needed more money, so they had to sell the stock's they had in the First Bank of the United States. Congress agreed to this. Hamilton opposed this and tried to gather supporters to oppose this, but was unsuccessful. The bank was closed in 1811. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was between America and Great Britain- It began on September 11, 1812 and ended in 1815 by the Treaty of Ghent. The war was a draw and neither side lost of gained any territory. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place in 1815, ending the War of 1812. General Andrew Jackson defeated the British army who was trying to over take New Orleans; This battle is thought to be one of America's greatest land victories. -
Election of James Monroe
The Election of 1816 was the presidential election between James Monroe, a Democratic-Republican, and Rufus King, a Federalist. This was after the War of 1812, so the Federalist Party was weak. Monroe won as a Democratic-Republican, ending the Federalist domination of the U.S. politics. -
McCullouch v. Maryland
The McCullouch v. Maryland case was a case in 1819 that was between the state of Maryland and James William McCullouch. In 1818, Maryland passed legislation to impose taxes on the bank. James McCullouch refused to pay the tax. This case showed that the Constitution granted Congress to use the Constitution's express powers, in order to form a functional national government. Also, it showed that states' actions may not interfere with any Constitutional exercises by the Federal government. -
Expanded Suffrage To All White Males
During the Jacksonian Era, the Jacksonians believed that all white males should have the right to vote. By 1820, all white U.S. males had the right to vote. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 that split the land accepting slavery in some and not in others. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a statement to the European powers warning them not to interfere with affairs in the Western Hemisphere. It was authored by James Monroe. -
Gibbons v. Odgen
The Gibbons vs. Ogden case took place in 1824 in the U.S. Supreme Court. Aaron Ogden purchased an interest in the monopoly to operate steamboats. He brought a lawsuit against Thomas Gibbons, the defendant for a rival steamboat company. It showed that the U.S. Congress had the right to regulate interstate commerce. -
Election of 1824
The Election of 1824 was the presidential election between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. John Quincy Adams won. This election is significant because it is one of the few elections that was decided by the House of Representatives when neither candidate secured a majority of the electoral vote. -
Election of Andrew Jackson
The presidential Election of 1828 featured Andrew Jackson and the then current president, John Quincy Adams. Andrew Jackson won the election after losing to John Quincy Adams in the previous election. It started the transition to the Jacksonian Democracy. -
Beginning of Democratic Party (Jacksonian Democracy)
The Democratic Party was formed after the old political party, the Democratic-Republicans fell apart in 1824. The founder of the Democratic Party was Andrew Jackson. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was an act signed by President Andrew Jackson. It was a treaty signed by Native American Tribe leaders forcing them to take their tribes and move west, to free up land in the southwest for new settlement. -
Worcester v. Georgia
The Worcester v. Georgia case took place on March 3, 1832 in the U.S. Supreme Court. It was over the Indian Removal Act. The court said they could stay, but Jackson ignored them and kicked them out anways.
