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Presidential Timeline

By maggie.h22

  • Constitution

    Provided separation of powers, strengthened the central government which was much needed after previously in the Articles of Confederation the only power was legislative.

  • Judiciary Act

    Created in George Washington's presidency, the Judiciary Act limits the number of federal judges.

  • National Bank

    A largely debated proposal by Hamilton, the first Bank of the United States passed and allowed the US to use a central government to control the states debts.

  • Term Limits

    Established by George Washington, Presidents could only have terms of four years to avoid bring tyrannical.

  • Not able to declare war

    During the James Madison presidency, he established that only Congress should have the power to declare war. This would have led to more supported wars, but many presidents found ways to get around this limitation.

  • Jay's Treaty

    John Jay negotiated a treaty with Britain in which they agreed to stop the impressment of US sailors and their continued presence in the US colonial land. However, they continued these practices which eventually resulted in the War of 1812.

  • XYZ Affair

    Adams ended the US-French alliance after refusing to pay a bribe to the French Diplomat.

  • Louisiana Purchase

    After attempting to negotiate a smaller purchase with France, the US was offered the entire french colony for a chap bargain, which Thomas Jefferson accepted despite his steadfast belief in a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

  • Embargo Act

    Prevented US from trading with France and Britain to stop the impressment of US sailors. However, this act was proven detrimental to the US economy and caused many protests and harsh feelings among Americans.

  • The War of 1812

    War over Britain's continued presence in the United States. The US won, but just barely. The Treaty of Ghent marked the end of this war.

  • Monroe Doctrine

    Monroe stated that the US would only remain involved in Western affairs, and that they would not get dragged into European affairs. This was in an attempt to get the European nations to stop interfering in the United States and establishing other colonies.

  • Veto Power

    Jackson greatly expanded the veto power of the president, as he contested South Carolina's nullification a tariff. He also vetoed more bills than the previous six presidents combined. This set a precedent and showed the large veto power that the president holds.

  • Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

    Treaty that ended the Mexican-American War and allowed the US to gain New Mexico and California, as well as Texas.

  • Chinese Exclusion Act

    Act restricting Chinese Immigration. This Act passed over the Veto of Rutherford B. Hayes and was in action for more than 60 years.

  • US gains Hawaii

    Under Cleveland Hawaii is annexed. This is passed through the Newlands Resolution.

  • Spanish-American War

    War fought over foreign territory. In agreement which ended the conflict, the US gained Puerto Rico, Guam, and Cuba.

  • Open door policy

    Allowed all countries to trade with China equally. Allowed for much more foreign influence in China.

  • Loose interpretation of the Constitution

    Unless it is explicitly stated in the Constitution that an action cannot be done it is allowed. For example, Hamilton's National Bank or many of the actions by Roosevelt. Many, such as Thomas Jefferson, opposed this (though he used a loose construction to justify the Louisiana Purchase).

  • WWI Neutrality

    Under Woodrow Wilson, US stayed neutral during the beginning years of World War I until a turn of events allowed them to side with the allies.

  • The New Deal

    The New Deal used an amount of federal power which had never been previously attempted. Though it outraged many, it had a large impact in shifting the role of the presidency to grant the president more powers.

  • US involvement in WWII

    After remaining neutral, the US was attacked by the Japanese in Pearl Harbor and entered the war.

  • WWII ends

    Under Truman, the US drops 2 atomic bombs in Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki), resulting in their surrender.

  • Iron Curtain

    Winston Churchill displayed his containment policy in regards to Communism. This did not stop Communism, but rather contained it to the areas it was already present. This idea became the model for many larger foreign policy issues during the Cold War.

  • Truman Doctrine

    Stated that the US would support any anti-Communist nation. The result of this was that US began to support many dictators simply on the basis that they are not communist. Under Harry Truman.

  • Marshall Plan

    Gave funds to European nations who needed aid rebuilding after the war. Created by George C. Marshall.

  • NATO

    US joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization to guide foreign policy with other allied nations.

  • Korean Conflict

    Cold War conflict between Communist North Korea and South Korea. The war had not shift in land on either of the nations, but ended in 1953.

  • Cuban Missle Crisis

    After the attempted blockade of Cuba due to the presence of atomic missiles, the USSR agrees to remove missiles from Cuba given that the US pulls theirs from Turkey. Under Kennedy.

  • Vietnam War

    As a part of the Cold War, the Vietnam War was fought over containing Communism in North Vietnam. The war ended in 1975 after the US withdrew in 1973.

  • War in Afghanistan

    After 9/11 the US invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to overthrow the Taliban. Even after this conflict had been resolved, fighting remains.

  • Iraq War

    George W Bush declared war on Iraq after they were accused of having stockpiled incredibly dangerous weapons. The war lasted until 2011.