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Alexander Hamilton
Alexander's mother (Rachel) supported her family in St. Croix by keeping a small store in Christiansted. She contracted a severe fever and died on February 19, 1768, 1:02 am, leaving Hamilton effectively orphaned. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation served as a bridge between the initial government by the Continental Congress of the Revolutionary period. The Articles of Confederation established a very weak central government. Link: //http://www.barefootsworld.net/aoc1777.html' -
End of the American Revolution
On October 19th, 1781 marked the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. After the British surrendered, Cornwallis was so embarrassed that he sent his second in command, so Washington had to also send his second in command. Link: http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/america9.html -
George Washington takes office of President
On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. He pursued two intertwined interests: military arts and western expansion Link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington Link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington -
Ratification of the Constitution
A majority of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention approved the documents over which they had labored since May. After a farewell banquet, delegates swiftly returned to their homes to organize support, most for but some against the proposed charter. Before the Constitution could become the law of the land, it would have to withstand public scrutiny and debate. Link: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/ratification.html -
Whiskey Rebellion
Angered by an excise tax imposed on whiskey in 1791 by the federal government, farmers in the western counties of Pennsylvania engaged in a series of attacks on excise agents. Washington's order mobilized an army of approximately 13,000. Link: http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/whiskey/ -
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers has been called the “last battle of the American Revolution” and one of the three most important battles in the development of our nation. The decisive victory by the Legion of the United States over a confederacy of Indian tribes opened the Northwest Territory. Link: http://www.fallentimbersbattlefield.com/ -
Jay's Treaty
The American statesman John Jay, pressed into service as special envoy, went to England to negotiate disagreements between the two governments. The Treaty eliminated British control of western posts within two years, established America's claim for damages from British ship seizures, and provided America a limited right to trade in the West Indies. Link: http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/jaytreaty/ -
Pinckey's Treaty
Spain recognized U.S. borders at the Mississippi and the 31st parallel (the northern border of Florida, a Spanish possession)
Spain granted Americans the right to deposit goods for transshipment at New Orleans. Link: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h454.html -
George Washington leaves office
Many people thought Washington would make a good third president, but George refused the job. He felt the government would be better off with a new president every four to eight years. Link: http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312702/georgewashington.htm -
X,Y,Z Affair with France
The XYZ Affair (1797-1798) played a major role in creating a Franco-American Quasi War. The incident involved three French ministers (named by John Adams as X, Y, and Z) and the American delegation in France. Link: http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/xyz-affair -
John Adams Significant Event
In 1798 John Adams created the Navy Department and Marine Corps. -
Alien Sedition Acts
Under the threat of war with France, Congress in 1798 passed four laws in an effort to strengthen the Federal government. Known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts, the legislation sponsored by the Federalists was also intended to quell any political opposition from the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson. Link: http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/sedition/ -
Virginia Resolutions
The following resolution was adopted by the Virginia Senate on December 24, 1798, as a protest against the Alien and Sedition Acts passed by Congress. It was authored by James Madison, in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson, who authored a set of resolutions for Kentucky. Link: http://www.constitution.org/cons/virg1798.htm -
Election of 1800
The Election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson was an emotional and hard-fought campaign. Each side believed that victory by the other would ruin the nation. Link: http://www.ushistory.org/us/20a.asp -
Marbury vs. Madison
In the weeks after John Adams lost his bid for reelection to Thomas Jefferson in 1800, the Federalist Congress increased the number of circuit courts. Adams placed Federalist judges in these new positions. Link: http://americanhistory.about.com/od/judicialbranch/p/marbury.htm -
Louisiana Purchase
By a treaty signed on Apr. 30, 1803, the United States purchased from France the Louisiana Territory, more than 2 million sq km (800,000 sq mi) of land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The price was 60 million francs, about $15 million; $11,250,000 was to be paid directly, with the balance to be covered by the assumption by the United States of French debts to American citizens. Link: http://www.gatewayno.com/history/LaPurchase.html -
Thomas Jefferson Significant Event
The most significant event for Thomas Jefferson was the Louisiana Purchase. -
Lewis and Clark
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the expedition had several goals. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition -
British Impressment
In England, impressment was historically employed by the army and navy, but by the 19th century it was commonly used only by the navy. From the British viewpoint, impressment made some sense. Conditions in the Royal Navy were extremely harsh, resulting in a high number of desertions. Link: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h456.html -
War of 1812
Twenty-nine years after the end of the American Revolution, conflict between Great Britain and the young United States flared up again. The War of 1812 broke out for a variety of reasons, including Britain’s seizure of American ships, impressment of American sailors into the British navy and restriction of trade between the United States and France. Link: http://www.history.com/topics/war-of-1812 -
Barbary War
The Barbary War -- the first American war against Libya -- was the first war waged by the United States outside national boundaries after gaining independence and unification of the country. The four Barbary States of North Africa - Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli - had plundered seaborne commerce for centuries. Surviving by blackmail, they received great sums of money, ships, and arms yearly from foreign powers in return for allowing the foreigners to trade in African ports.
