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Historical Period
ENGR

Louisiana, the War of 1812, and Jacksonian democracy.

Use the timeline below to navigate through major events and milestones.

The Early Republic · 1789-1836
Young Nation · 1789-1836

The Early Republic

From Hamilton's financial system and the first peaceful transfer of power, through the Louisiana Purchase that doubled the nation, a second war with Britain, and the rise of Jacksonian democracy, to the market revolution and the tragic removal of Native peoples. Slide across the years to watch a young republic find its footing.

1791 AD
Foundations
1 / 8

Hamilton's financial system

Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton establishes a national bank and assumes state debts, building the credit of the new nation but igniting the first party rivalries.

1791 AD

Foundations
  • Political

    Hamilton's financial system

    Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton establishes a national bank and assumes state debts, building the credit of the new nation but igniting the first party rivalries.

8 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 1791 AD

Full Chronicle

The Early Republic

From Hamilton's financial system and the first peaceful transfer of power, through the Louisiana Purchase that doubled the nation, a second war with Britain, and the rise of Jacksonian democracy, to the market revolution and the tragic removal of Native peoples. Slide across the years to watch a young republic find its footing.

  1. Foundations

    • Hamilton's financial system

      Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton establishes a national bank and assumes state debts, building the credit of the new nation but igniting the first party rivalries.

  2. Peaceful Transfer

    • The 'Revolution of 1800'

      Thomas Jefferson's election transfers power peacefully from the Federalists to the Democratic-Republicans, proving the young constitution could survive a change of party.

  3. A Continent Opens

    • The Louisiana Purchase

      Jefferson buys the vast Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the United States and opening the way to westward expansion.

  4. Second War with Britain

    • The War of 1812

      The United States goes to war with Britain over trade and impressment. British troops burn Washington in 1814, but the war ends in a draw that confirms American independence.

  5. A Hemisphere's Doctrine

    • The Monroe Doctrine

      President Monroe warns European powers against further colonization in the Americas, staking out the Western Hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence.

  6. Jacksonian Democracy

    • Andrew Jackson and the common man

      The election of war hero Andrew Jackson ushers in an era of expanded white male suffrage and populist politics that reshape American democracy.

  7. Dispossession

    • Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears

      The Indian Removal Act forces tens of thousands of Native people from their homelands; the Cherokee march west along the deadly Trail of Tears.

  8. The Market Revolution

    • Canals, factories, and reform

      Canals, textile mills, and a booming market economy transform the North, while reform movements — temperance, abolition, and women's rights — begin to stir.