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The Whiskey Rebellion
In 1784, thousands of farmers in western Pennsylvania started up in rebellion to the enforcement of a law taxing whiskey in America. Some farmers were so aggressive and rebellious that they disguised themselves and snatched a federal tax collector out of his bed, stripped him, and then burnt him five miles away from his home, and other tax collectors were beaten and shot as well. The farmers were rebelling against the collectors because there was a tax put on whiskey. This was referred to as th -
Election of George Washington
Election of George Washington It was the first quadrennial presidential election. it was on Monday, December 15, 1788 to Saturday, January 10, 1789. George Washington was elected with almost no doubt from others. His vice president was John Adams. He was completely unopposed. He was extremely popular due to all of his involvement in America’s history. -
Sedition Act
The Sedition Act of 1798, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Adams. The act stated that no one could talk negatively about the government. Anyone who spoke of the government in such a way would be imprisoned or had to pay off fines. Some Americans saw this as strong national government taking over, almost like King George III. This was the most controversial act passed by any president of the time. -
Bill of Rights Added to the Constitution
The U.S. Constitution was created on September 25, 1789. It was Ratified on December 15, 1791, its purpose was to set limits on government and the people it governs. Originally the bill of rights only protected white men, excluding african americans and women.The amendments were introduced by James Madison to the first United States Congress as a selection of legislative articles. The U.S. Bill of Rights was based off the English bill of rights. -
Beginning of Federalist Party
Beginning of Federalist Party Began in 1794 and ended in 1829. It was the first American political party. It was formed by Alexander Hamilton who in Washington’s presidency built a network of supporters, mostly urban bankers or businessmen, to support his fiscal policy. This number of supporters became the first Federalist party known to America. -
The Election of John Quincy Adams
The Election of John Quincy Adams took place on Friday, November 4th to Wednesday, December 7th, 1796. It was the first election that actually included competition. The two men included in the election were John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. When George Washington refused a third term, his vice president, John Adams became a candidate for the presidency on the Federalist party ticket. Jefferson was on the side of Democratic-republicans. This election is what created political parties. -
XYZ Affair
XYZ Affair was a political and diplomatic mishap in 1797 and 1798. It happened during John Adams' presidency. It was a conflict with the U.S.and Republican France. The affair’s name derives from the three French representatives released by Adams’ administration.An American diplomatic commission was sent to France in July 1797 to negotiate issues that were threatening to break out into war. The French wanted money or else they would start war. The Americans came up with the phrase “Millions for d -
Alien Act
The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills passed in 1798 by the Federalists in the 5th United States Congress in the aftermath of the French Revolution. They were signed into law by President John Adams.The acts were thus meant to guard against this real threat of anarchy. When Democratic-republicans in some states refused to carry out the federal laws, such as the Whiskey tax, they threatened to rebel. The federalists threatened to send an army force to capture them. -
John Marshall Appointed
John Marshall Appointed John Adams nominated John marshall to be Secretary of State, in 1801, John Marshall became Chief Justice.He was preceded by Oliver Ellsworth and he was succeeded by Roger B. Taney.In 1798, Marshall declined a Supreme Court appointment, recommending Bushrod Washington, who would later become one of Marshall's staunchest allies on the Court. John Marshall was secretary of state for only one year. -
The Election of Thomas Jefferson
On February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected the third president of the United States. This election portrays the first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to the other in the United States. Jefferson ran against Adams who had passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which he used to his benefit and proposed that they were unconstitutional. Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the electoral vote which sparked controversy. The vote went to the House of Representatives and Jefferson w -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison is the court case that redefined the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the U.S. in Article III of the U.S. Constitution.It is a landmark in the Supreme Court. Marbury’s argument consisted of the fact that in the Judiciary Act of 1789, Congress gave the Supreme Court original jurisdiction over petitions for writs of mandamus.to be straight to the point , the constitutional problem on which Marbury v. Madison was resolute was whether Congress could enlarge the origina -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was started by the United States in 1803. At the time, France had control over the Louisiana Territory which included the Mississippi River. America wanted the river to provide routes for trade so they paid France fifty million francs plus cancellation debts worth eighteen million francs. That added up to about fifteen million dollars, which is about three cents per acre. France had control over this territory from 1699 to 1762. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) Aka the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was made shortly after the Louisiana Purchase when America wanted to see the terrain given to them, to see how safe, fertile, etc. the land was. It was also the first transcontinental expedition ever to the Pacific coast that was taken up by the U.S. Thomas Jefferson was the one to recommend the Expedition which was soon taken up by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who were later accompanied by Sacagawea, who was t -
The Embargo Act
The Embargo Act, passed by Congress on 22 December 1807, was designed to punish France and Britain as well as protect American shipping from any further acts of aggression by either nation (France and Britain). The act forbade American ships and goods from leaving American ports except for those ships in the coastal trade. The embargo successfully curbed American commerce. The total exports for the United States reached $108 million. One year later, that number had declined to just over $22 mill -
Election of James Madison
Republican James Madison was elevated to the presidency in the election of 1808. Madison won 122 electoral votes to Federalist Charles C. Pinckney's 47 votes. Vice President George Clinton received 6 electoral votes for president from his native New York, but easily defeated Federalist Rufus King for vice president, 113-47. In the early stages of the election campaign, Madison also faced challenges from within his own party by Monroe and Clinton.
The main issue of the election was the Embargo Ac -
The Non-Intercourse Act
Non-Intercourse Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1809. The act arose out of British and French seizure of American ships and sailors during the Napoleonic Wars, when each country was trying to cut off the other from foreign trade. It forbade the exporting and importing of all goods to or from Great Britain and France, or the lands they controlled. The act provided for resumption of trade with either country if it agreed to respect the rights of American shipping.The Nonintercourse -
Election of James Monroe
Republican James Monroe won the presidency with 183 electoral votes, carrying every state except Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Delaware. Federalist Rufus King received the votes of the 34 Federalist electors. Daniel D. Tompkins of New York was elected vice president with 183 electoral votes, his opposition scattered among several candidates. Monroe came to symbolize the "Era of Good Feelings," but was not elected easily. He barely won the nomination in the Republican congressional caucus over -
Monroe Doctrine
Monroe Doctrine was a policy of the U.S. that was introduced on December 2, 1823. It is said that more efforts by European nations to colonize the land or mess with states in North or South America, would be seen as offensive or aggressiveness. The full document is too long to write in just a paragraph but the Doctrine can easily summed up by two key passages. This is the first introductory statement: The occasion has been judged proper for asserting, as a principle in which the rights and inter
