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Election of George Washington
George Washington got elected into office in 1789 after the members of Congress cast their ballots to elect him. Washington was in office for eight years with his vice president, John Adams. He created many precedents, like only serving two terms, neutrality in foreign affairs, use of force to enforce law, creating a cabinet, and also creating the name president. -
Alien Act
This worry began in 1798 and caused for many changes in the law. The government had begun to worry about subversion, which is an activity designed to overthrow the government. The word had spread to president Adams, and he finally passed four laws over this area of concern. The Alien Act gave the president power to imprison or deport aliens suspected of activities that could possibly put a threat to our government.
The laws were despised by the people and were unfair. -
Bill of Rights added to Constitution
The Bill of Rights finally made it on the Constitution on December 15, 1791. Madison first presented the idea and understanding of a Bill of Rights to the Congress in 1788. He believed it would be essential to have one, for many people argued over not having any free rights. Anti-Federalists helped spark the debate after calling the Constitution threatening their liberties, and challenged the delegates to protect their rights. The first ten amendments were known as the Bill of Rights. -
The Creation of the Democratic-Republican Party
This was one of the first political parties created, and has been separated into the Democratic and Republican parties that we have today. It began whenever Thomas Jefferson, the secretary of state, was dissatisfied with the policies of the Washington administration. He and his colleagues put together a group, and called themselves the Democratic-Republicans. -
Beginning of Federalist Party
The idea of Federalism was born in 1792. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison declared this idea after creating the Federalist Papers. The documents helped inspire people to adopt the Constitution and its stronger central government. People soon took part in the new idea, and it helped the administration to assume national and state debts, pass tax laws, and create a national bank. -
The Whiskey Rebellion
Was a rebellion of farmers due to a new tax implemented by the government. George Washington quickly reacted and was able to put a stop to the rebellion before it got out of hand. This showed the American people that the National Government was capable of acting quick during a crisis. Occurred on October 1, 1794. -
Election of John Adams
John Adams was elected in 1796 after George Washington’s Farewell Address. After being vice president for eight years, Adams could finally help control the United States. This would be the first time presidential powers would be handed down to another person. Many people disliked how he ruled the country, but he managed to maintain peace for the most part. -
XYZ Affair
The French had created this incident in April 1, 1798. The French were furious with America because they signed a treaty with Great Britain as opposed to helping them in the French Revolution. In order to show their fury, they began attacking US ships involved in trade with Great Britain. Adams did not tolerate with this behavior, so he sent three representatives to France to speak to French minister, Their identities were XYZ -
Sedition Act
The Sedition Act was a law passed on July 14, 1798, that made criticism against the federalist party a crime. It’s main intentions were to silence Democratic-Republican criticism against the government. It was established during John Adams presidency, along with the Alien Act. After much controversy, the Sedition Act was revoked due to it’s unconstitutionality. -
Election of Thomas Jefferson
Took place in the year 1800, and was between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. It was the first time that the country had a president who did not have federalistic views. Jefferson beat Adams because he received more electoral college votes. He, and his vice Aaron Burr, then took office on December 3, 1800. -
John Marshall Appointed
John Adams appointed John Marshall to the Supreme Court in 1801. He also became the Chief Justice during that time and worked in many cases. He was also in the Marbury v. Madison court case, for he was still the Chief Justice for that period. He served that duty for 34 years, the longest tenure of any Justice. During those years, he helped establish the Supreme Court as the final authority on the meaning of the Constitution. -
Marbury v. Madison
The case began on February 24, 1803, but had much discussion. Marbury, a federalist, was to be a judge of peace in Columbia, so he appointed seven other people. However, Jefferson disagreed with his idea and didn’t allow Madison to go and deliver his appointments. Frustrated by not receiving his order, Marbury sued Madison and the case went off to court. In the end, Chief Justice John Marshall declared Marbury to his appointment, but this only led to his appointments being unconstitutional. -
Louisiana Purchase
On December 1, 1803, a treaty was signed to grant America the Louisiana territory, but it wasn’t that simple. Jefferson had sent James Monroe to France in order to purchase New Orleans from France for $10 million. This was shortly after a war, and Napoleon was low on cash, so he offered all of the Louisiana territory just for $15 million. Jefferson immediately took the offer. We gained all of the territory. -
Lewis & Clark Expedition
The expedition began shortly after Jefferson purchased Louisiana territory from France, on May 14, 1804. Lewis and Clark went and explored the new Louisiana land after heading out from St. Louis with 50 men. They were mainly sent out to map a route to the Pacific Ocean through the area, but they found so much more. They had met Sacagawea, a Shoshine, who helped guide them along their journey. This was a very beneficial trip. -
Embargo Act
Was an act passed on December 21, 1807 by the third president, Thomas Jefferson. He passed this act to try to stop interference with foreign nations, and limit the amount of American soldiers being attacked.
It attempted to ban all trade with foreign nation, and tried to hurt British and French economies. This was very unsuccessful, and was soon replaced with the Non-Intercourse Act. -
Election of James Madison
James Madison has been a political advocate since the days of George Washington’s presidency. He drafted the constitution, and can be considered one of the founding fathers. He was running for president in the Democratic-Republican party. His vice presidential candidate running alongside him was a man named George Clinton. He was elected in the year 1809, and served two terms as president. -
Non-Intercourse Act
The Non-Intercourse Act was a law passed on March 1, 1809 by the United States Congress to ban all commerce between Americans and the European nations of France and Great Britain. It was designed to replace the Embargo Act, which banned international shipping with all nations. Like the prior acts, the Non-Intercourse Act was difficult to enforce and widely violated. It was replaced about a year after coming into law and is generally believed to have been a failure. -
War of 1812
The United States embarked on its second war against Great Britain. This was primarily a naval war which consisted within Atlantic waters. The cause of this war was the British impressment of American troops, and attacking their ships on the high seas. The Americans won this war, and thus the National Anthem was created. 1812-1815. -
Election of James Monroe
James Monroe was a political advocate who was active from 1783-1825. His initial career was in the law field, but then he transitioned into politics. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican party, and ran for president in the year 1816. His vice president was a man named Daniel D. Tompkins, and he served both terms with Monroe. James Monroe won the election by a large margin, and become the fifth president of the United States in the year 1817. -
Monroe Doctrine
Created on December 2, 1823, Monroe presented to the Congress the “Monroe Doctrine.” It stated the United States’ policy on the new political order developing in the rest of the Americas and also the role of Europe. His range of ideas were inspired by Washington’s Farewell Address and Madison’s stated rationale for the War of 1812. The main concepts of the doctrine was to show the separate spheres of influence for the Americas and Europe, non-colonization, and non-intervention. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
After the steamboat had just been created, it was a big part of trade domestically, and with foreign countries. New York taxed Robert Fulton to use his steamboat in their waters. Robert Fulton disapproved of their agreement, and took it to court. This was an abuse of states rights, and John Marshall ruled in favor of Fulton. This gave the government the power to regulate the economy. This occurred in 1824. -
McCulloh v. Maryland
The state Maryland was angered due to the newly created National Bank.They taxed a man named James McCulloch who worked in the Baltimore division of the National Bank. McCulloch refused to pay the tax, and took the case to court. John Marshall reviewed the case, and considered it a big part of the new idea, “Judicial Review.” He ruled in favor of McCulloch and the federal government. In result, the government gained power, and the courts now had equal power with the other branches. March 6, 1824
