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US Gov't Under the Constitution Begins
George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States. People are confused as to what to call Washington, there are suggestions such as "Excellency" or "Highness". -
First Census
The US population totals to 3.9 Million people. Of those, 760,000 are black, and of those, 700,000 are enslaved. The first petition to emancipate the slaves is submitted to Congress by the Virginia Quakers. Judith Sargent Murray publishes "On the Equality of the Sexes". -
The Bill of Rights is Ratified and becomes part of The Constitution
Vermont enters the Union as the 14th state. First bank of the United States is chartered for a twenty-year period.
US troops are defeated by the Miami Indians in Ohio after being sent by Washington to respond to the massacre of settlers at Big Bottom. -
First Presidential Election
Kentucky enters the Union as the 15th state and is the first state to grant universal manhood suffrage. Washington and Adams are re-elected as President and Vice President. -
Washington Declares the US Neutrality as War Breaks Out Between France and Great Britain
Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin. The Fugitive Slave Act is passed by Congress. A yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia results in over 4,000 deaths. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Britain agrees to withdraw from the Northwest Territory and the US agrees to pay pre-revolution debts. Farmers in western Pennsylvania protest the excise tax on whiskey, the rebellion is then put down by troops. -
The Northwest Territory is Opened for Settlement After the Indian Defeat at Fallen Timbers.
Spain allows the US navigation rights on the Mississippi river and the 31st parallel is set as the border between the US and the Spanish Empire. -
Second Presidential Election
Tennessee enters the Union as the 16th state, and granted universal manhood suffrage. John Adams is elected as president over Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson becomes Vice President. -
Alien & Sedition Acts
The acts restrict political opposition and order deportation of "dangerous aliens". Jefferson and Madison publish resolutions in opposition. -
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Quasi War
The Quasi War of 1798-1800 begins when France tries to bribe the US commissioners in Paris, sparking the tension between the two nations. -
George Washington dies in Virgina At Age 67 (born 1732)
Patrick Henry dies in Virginia at age 63 (born 1736). -
Second Census
US population totals 5.3 Million, including one million African Americans, 900,000 of whom are enslaved. Federal Capital moves from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington D.C.. -
Third Presidential Election
Jefferson and Burr tie for president, defeating Adams and Pinckney,. Jefferson-Burr tie forces the election into the House of Representatives. Jefferson is elected in 36 ballots as third president of The United States. -
Barbary War Begins
Tripoli declares war on the US.; Jefferson sends US ships the Mediterranean Sea. 25th anniversary of the Declaration of independence is celebrated. -
The Louisiana Territory is Purchased by The United States
The Louisiana Territory is purchased by the US for $15 million, nearly doubling its size. The Lewis and Clark expedition begins in St. Louis, Missouri. -
Fourth Presidential Election
Jefferson is re-elected president and George Clinton is elected as vice president. Alexander Hamilton is killed by Vice President Aaron Burr in a duel. -
Barbary War Ends
US Troops capture Darna.
Piracy by Barbary States continues until 1815
Lewis and Clark expedition reaches Pacific Ocean. -
Ban on Slave Trade
The ban on importation of slaves is passed by congress, as required by the Constitution. Embargo Act is passed by Congress in response to British and French interference with US trade. Impressment continues: approximately 1,000 US seamen are "pressed" annually into the British Navy. -
Fifth Presidential Election
James Madison is elected president and George Clinton is re-elected vice president.
The Osage tribe cedes its lands in Missouri and Arkansas regions to the US.
US ships and cargoes in European ports are confiscated by France. -
Third Census
US population totals 7.2 million, including 1.4 million African Americans, of whom 1.2 million are enslaved. The population west of the Appalachian Mountains is 1 million. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 begins as the US declares war on Great Britain over issues like borders, trade, freedom of the seas, and the rights of neutrals. Indians under Tecumseh fight on the side of the British. Louisiana enters the Union as the 18th state. -
Sixth Presidential Election
Madison is re-elected president and Elbridge Gerry is elected vice president. Napoleon unsuccessfully invades Russia. -
War of 1812 Ends
War of 1812 ends with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.
The Creek War ends with the US victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in Alabama.
The US wins the Battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. (The witness Francis Scott Key will later write "The Star-Spangled Banner".) -
Old Southwest is opened to Immigration
The Old Southwest is opened to settlers after the defeat of the Native Americans in the Creek War.
New England settlers that opposed the War of 1812 consider secession but compromise at the proposed amendment to protect sovereignty.
General Andrew Jackson defeats British forces at the Battle of New Orleans two weeks after signing the Treaty of Ghent.
