0412 Beginning of the War of 1812
The War of 1812 with Great Britain is often referred to as America’s Second War for Independence which lasted from June 18, 1812, to February 18, 1815. For Native Americans in the Northwest Territory who had allied with the British, the outcome of the war was devastating to their land and political autonomy.
0411 Trading Trouble (1801-1809)
During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, it was his goal to limit the powers of the federal government. The first foreign episode involved Jefferson’s war with the Barbary pirates. When the Barbary States increased their demand for money, he refused to pay. He ordered an embargo, which banned all British and French ships from U.S. ports. The […]
0410 Louisiana Purchase of 1803
The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. When Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, he altered the shape of a nation and the course of history.
0409 Marbury v Madison
Marbury v Madison is arguably the most important case in the United States Supreme Court history. Decided in 1803, it established two cornerstones of constitutional law and the modern judiciary. These are the federal laws that conflict with the U.S. Constitution is invalid, and judges determine whether federal laws are unconstitutional. This is called judicial […]
0408 Jefferson Redefines US Government
Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801 and acted to limit the size of the government and expand the size of the country. Meanwhile, the United States continued to face a threat of overseas conflict.
0407 Election of 1800
The election of 1800 pitted Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson against Federalist John Adams. The Federalists envisioned a strong central government and a thriving manufacturing sector, while the Democratic-Republicans yearned for an agrarian republic centered on the values of the yeoman farmer. It was one of the most bitter, contentious, and fiercely partisan presidential elections in US […]
0406 John Adams
John Adams was the leader of the American Revolution, America’s first vice president, and served as the second U.S. president. His presidency was marked by conflicts between the two newly-formed political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
0405 Political Parties
Although political parties represent diverse viewpoints today, parties are not mentioned in the Constitution and did not yet exist when Washington took office. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton disagreed over the role of the federal government, economic policy, and foreign affairs. These disagreements led to the emergence of the first American political parties and shaped […]
0404 The French & Farewell
Washington and Hamilton worked closely together on the address, which took the form of a public letter to the American people. The nation’s first president called for the American people to remain unified, resist the rise of political factions, and avoid the influence of foreign powers.
0403 Economy, Taxation & Rebellion (1791)
In 1790, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton pushed for the federal government to take over that debt. He also suggested an excise tax on whiskey to prevent further financial difficulty. The Whiskey Rebellion was an uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government.
