FoundationsPolitical
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.
American History · Chronicle IV of X
The Early Republic
Young Nation · 1789-1836
Louisiana, the War of 1812, and Jacksonian democracy.
- Span
- 1789 – 1836
- Entries
- 8
Entry 1 of 8
Peaceful TransferPolitical
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.
A Continent OpensPolitical
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.
In 1804 Lewis and Clark set out to explore the new lands, guided in part by the Shoshone woman Sacagawea, reaching the Pacific and mapping a route across the continent.
Second War with BritainMilitary
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.
A Hemisphere's DoctrinePolitical
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.
Jacksonian DemocracyPolitical
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.
DispossessionPolitical
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.
The Market RevolutionCultural
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.