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The First Administration
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Election of George Washington
George Washington was planning to retire, instead his fellow citizens elected him to the highest office in the land. The Americans trusted Washington to run this new country the best. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Farmers in the back country grew whiskey and traded whiskey for the goods that they needed. These farmers rarely had any cash, and when they heard they had to pay taxes on whiskey, they were infuriated, and started a rebellion. -
Jay's Treaty
Britain and America were at the brink of war, and President Washington did not want to go to war with Britain again. He sent Chief Justice John Jay to make peace with the British by presenting a treaty written by Alexander Hamilton that asked Britain to withdraw from American soil, primarily west of Pennsylvania and north of the Ohio River, and to pay off old war debt. -
Pickney's Treaty
This is also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo, and it resovled the problems between Spain and the United States in the southern boundaries of the United States. The treaty granted the Americans the privilege of tax-free deposits at New Orleans and restrained Indians within its borders from attacks on the other. -
Election of John Adams
The two parties, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans needed to select one man to run for president, and then the people would vote, John Adams, a Federalist, became the nation's second president and Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republic, became the nation's second vice president. -
Washington's Farewell Address
George Washington had served as the first President of the United States for two terms and retired at the end of his second term. He wrote a letter to the people to announce his retirement. -
XYZ Affair
John Adams wanted to refuse war with France and sent a delegation to Paris to see if France and the United States could resolve this. Instead, the French sent over three agents to ask for a bribe and a loan for France from the Americans, and this lead to the XYZ Affair. XYZ refers to the three French agents. -
VA and KY Resolutions
These resolutions clamed that the Alien and Sedition Acts could not be put into action, because they violated the Constitution. Also, the Kentuckey Resolutions further suggested that the states might legally overturn federal laws considered unconstitutional. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
These were passed to proctect the nation's security; the Alien Act allowed the president to imprison aliens or send those he considered dangerous out of the country. The Sedition Act made it a crime to speak, write, or publish "false, scandalous, and malicious" criticisms of the government. -
Naturalization Act
Congress passed this act to protect national security of immigrants coming into America. This act required that aliens be residents for fourten years instead of five years before they could become eligible for U.S. citizenship. -
Election of Thomas Jefferson
Campaigning took place in 1800, but it was not until February 11, 1801 that Thomas Jeffrson was determined to have won the presidential election against John Adams, and he took the oath on this date. Jefferson became the third president of the United States, and Aaron Burr became the third vice president of the United States. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Thomas Jefferson wanted to know more about the mysterious lands west of the Mississippi River, even before the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson commissioned an expedition to be led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, joined as a guide. -
Twelfth Amendment
This amendment required Electoral College electors to vote for the president and the vice president on separate ballots, and the candidate with the greatest number of votes will be elected if there is a majority. If there is not a majority, the House of Representatives will choose. -
Election of James Madison
Since Jefferson did not want to run for office for a third term, the Republicans chose James Madison to run. The Federalists chose Charles Pinckney as their canidate for president, and Madison won with a vote of 122 to 47. -
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
During te War of 1812, a young attorney named Francis Scott Key watched as the bombs burst over Fort McHenry. He wrote what he saw: "By the dawn's early light," Key was able to see that the American flag still flew over the fort, and he called it "The Star-Spangled Banner." -
Hartford Convention
The New England Federalists had opposed "Mr. Madison's War" from the start. In December 1814, the unhappy New England Federalists gathered in Hartford, Connecticut to discuss their grievances in a series of resolutions against military conscription and commercial regulations. -
Treaty of Ghent
The British and American representatives signed a peace treaty in Ghent, now Belgium, that ended the War of 1812. This treaty did not change any existing borders, nor the impressment of sailors. -
Battle of New Orleans
This was the final major battle of the War of 1812. Before the United States had heard about the Treaty of Ghent, The American forces, led by General Andrew Jackson, defeated the British army before they could take over New Orleans and its surrounding area, which was land acquired with the Louisiana Purchase. -
Rush-Bagot Treaty
After the War of 1812, President Monroe and his Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, moved to resolve long-standing disputes with Britain and Spain. When the United States and Britain ratified this treaty, they agreed to set limits on the number naval vessels each could have in the Great Lakes.
