-
Election of James Madison
In 1776, Madison helped write the Virginia Constitution and was elected to both the Virginia legislature and the Continental Congress. -
Election of George Washington
A British gentleman that was probably the most respected man in the country. Was elected the 1st President of the U.S on April 30, 1789. -
Beginning of Federalist Party
The Federalists, as a rule, were advocates of a strong central government. They were somewhat pessimistic about human nature and believed that the government must resist the passions of the general public. -
Whiskey Rebellion
When the people refused to pay the tax for liquor. -
Closing of the U.S Bank
Clearly, the new nation’s leaders had their
work cut out for them: re-establishing commerce and
industry, repaying war debt, restoring the value of the
currency, and lowering inflation. -
Bill of Rights Added to the Constitution
The Bill of Rights contained 10 amendments. Many of the founding fathers were demanding a Bill of Rights which would protect the people from the government. T -
Election of John Adams
The European war resulting from the French Revolution led many Federalists and other citizens to plead for Washington to accept a third term. He finally refused and announced his retirement on September 17, 1796 in the farewell address. -
XYZ Affair
President Adams labored to defuse growing tensions with France by sending two new diplomats, John Marshall and Elbridge Gerry, to join C.C. Pinckney in Paris. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, kept the American mission waiting for weeks, then deployed agents (designated X, Y and Z by the Americans) to demand a $250,000 bribe for himself and a $12 million loan for France. -
Sedition Act
In 1798, the Federalist-controlled Congress passed a series of laws which, on the surface, were designed to control the activities of foreigners in the United States during a time of impending war. -
Alien Act
It confirmed the President to have he power to command the aliens to leave. -
Election of Thomas Jefferson
There was an electoral vote tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr at 73 votes each. Because of this, the House of Representatives got to decide who would be president and who would be vice president. -
Beginning of Democratic-Republican Party
The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. -
John Marshall Appointed
President Adams nominated Marshall Chief Justice of the United States, and the Senate confirmed the appointment on January 27, 1801. -
Marbury vs. Madison
The Supreme Court reaffirmed that the Constitution gave the Court the authority of Judicial Review. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Thomas Jefferson chose his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, an intelligent and literate man who also possessed skills as a frontiersman. Lewis in turn solicited the help of William Clark, whose abilities as draftsman and frontiersman were even stronger. -
Louisiana Purchase
The United States purchased from France the Louisiana Territory, more than 2 million sq. km of land extending from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. -
Embargo Act
This law stopped all trade between America and any other country. -
Non-Intercourse Act
This Act lifted all embargoes on American shipping except for those bound for British or French ports. The intent was to damage the economies of the United Kingdom and France. -
War of 1812
A complex set of concerns, including the impressments of American citizens into the British navy and the ongoing efforts of the British to control commerce on the high seas, thrust the two nations into war. -
Battle of New Orleans
Jackson arrived in the city on December 2, 1814 and found its citizens in near-panic. A British naval force appeared on near-by Lake Borgne on December 12 and quickly destroyed the American defenses there. -
Election of James Monroe
Monroe was easily elected president in 1816, winning over 80 percent of the electoral vote. -
McCulloch vs. Maryland
Maryland enacted a statute imposing a tax on all banks operating in Maryland not chartered by the state. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement between the North and the South and passed by Congress in 1820 that allowed Missouri to be admitted as the 24th state in 1821. -
Monroe Doctrine
It stated that the Western Hemisphere was no longer open for colonization, the United States would regard any interference in Western hemispheric affairs as a threat to its security, and the United States would refrain from participation in European wars and would not disturb existing colonies in the Western Hemisphere. -
Gibbons vs. Ogden
Gibbons sued Ogden, and the Supreme Court agreed to decide the case. -
Election of 1824
John Quincy Adams won the election of 1824 after it was thrown into the U.S. House of Representatives. -
Expanded Suffrage to All White Males
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens. -
Election of Andrew Jackson
Jackson's appeal to the "Common Man" served him well and he handily won the popular vote and the electoral vote. -
Indian Removal Act
The forced removal of Native Americans from their lands started with the state of Georgia. -
Worcester vs. Georgia
Among other things, Worcester argued that the state could not maintain the prosecution because the statute violated the Constitution, treaties between the United States and the Cherokee nation, and an act of Congress entitled "an act to regulate trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes." Worcester was convicted and sentenced to "hard labour in the penitentiary for four years." The U.S. Supreme Court received the case on a writ of error. -
Beginning of Democratic Party (Jacksonian Democracy)
A new era of American politics began with Jackson's election in 1828, but it also completed a grand social experiment begun by the American Revolution.
