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Election of George Washington
This was the first presidential election in the history of the United States under the Constitution. George Washington’s election set many precedents for generations to come. His Vice President was John Adams, who later took his place as president. George Washington was one of the only presidents that was not opposed during his election. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was a document that protected U.S. citizens from the government. It gave citizens certain unalienable rights that could not be taken away by the constitution. We have the right now to amend the constitution. -
Beginning of Federalist Party
It started when Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison wrote what is called the Federalist papers. The papers made the views of the Federalist political party. The biggest belief they had was in a strong central government. -
Beginning of Democratic-Republican Party
The Democratic-Republican party was established by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. This party was opposed by the Federalists. This party disbanded in 1824 and eventually split into the modern Democrat and Republican parties. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was an event that occurred of George Washington’s presidency. He placed a tax on all whiskey and farmers revolted so he sent the militia to put down the revolt. This event showed the strength of the national government. -
Election of John Adams
John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson to become the 2nd President of the United States. He was barely able to defeat Jefferson and he ran along with Vice President Thomas Pinckney. John Adam’s election gave the Federalists a high position in the U.S. government. -
XYZ Affair
President Adams sent three prominent Americans to Paris to try to reach an agreement with France. The French diplomats known as X, Y, and Z insulted the Americans and sent them home very angry. The U.S. citizens cried for war, though it was never officially waged, the U.S. navy captured about 80 ships carrying the French flag. -
Alien Act
President John Adams passed a very selfish act that increased the citizenship requirement from five years to fourteen years. This was another cruel act forged to completely get rid of the Democratic Republican party. This act was later removed because it drastically lowered the amount of U.S. citizens in the nation. -
Sedition Act
The Sedition Act was signed into the U.S. government by John Adams. This act was very controversial because it silenced people that criticized the government. This act was also passed to weaken Democratic Republicans’ impact on the U.S. government. -
Election of Thomas Jefferson
This election showed that America was capable of a peaceful transfer of power. Thomas Jefferson called his election “the revolution of 1800,” because it marked the first time in American that power had been passed from one party to another. The two parties were the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists. -
John Marshall Appointed
John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the judicial branch. He is a very important justice because he made the judicial branch equal to the other two branches by enforcing judicial review. He also is the longest serving Chief Justice to have ever lived. -
McCulloch V. Maryland
This was another milestone case that proved the power of the federal government. James McCulloch was a U.S. National Bank cashier that refused to pay a tax to the state of Maryland. McCulloch won the case and the aftermath was that federal government could now not be taxed in its federal institutions. -
Embargo Act
The embargo act was an act passed by Thomas Jefferson that banned all trade with foreign nations. This act ironically turned out to be more harmful to the U.S. itself so it was later repealed and replaced by the Non Intercourse act. This act had a drastic impact on the American economy. -
Marbury V. Madison
On his last day as president, John Adams appointed Marbury as a Judge.He sent the commission to James Madison and Madison refused to sign it. Marbury took this to court and won. -
Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson approved the purchase of the vast Louisiana Territory. This doubled the U.S. territory and gave America a large stronghold in North America. It also lead to more colonization in the west and the Lewis and Clark expeditions. -
Lewis and Clark Expidition
The expedition started at the missouri river. The purpose of the expedition was to explore a route to the pacific, as well as learn the land and its resources. They were accompanied by Sacagawea, an Native American girl that helped guide their expedition. -
Election of James Madison
The election of James Madison marked the continuation of the Democratic Republican hold over the government. Madison’s presidency went through many hardships. The biggest of these was the War of 1812. -
Non-Intercourse Act
The Non-Intercourse Act was a law passed by the United States to ban all commerce between Americans and the European nations of France and Great Britain. Jefferson admitted that the Embargo Act had failed so congress replaced it with the Non-Intercourse Act. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 lasted until 1814. The War of 1812 boosted the American’s confidence. It fostered a strong sense of national pride among America, and all the pride is shown in our U.S National Anthem. The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain. -
James Monroe
James Monroe was elected as the fifth president of the U.S. This election was very significant because it marked the end of the Federalist party. It was also important because this was the first time since the days of George Washington that a president was elected virtually unopposed. -
Monroe Doctrine
Stated that there should be no more Europe colonization. United States will stand neutral in European wars. Lastly it states that Europe cannot interfere with government affairs. -
Gibbons V. Ogden
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Thomas Gibbons, a merchant that refused to pay a tax to Aaron Ogden. Ogden owned a monopoly in the steamboat travel between New York and New Jersey. This case was very important because it gave the federal government the power to regulate interstate commerce.
