| 1788 | Constitution ratified. |
| 1789 | Washington inaugurated President - establishes cabinet with Departments of State, War, and Treasury. |
| 1789 | Judiciary Act of 1789 - creates Supreme Court with six justices and provides for lower courts. |
| 1789 | French Revolution overthrows French monarchy. |
| 1789 | Tariff of 1789 protective tariff instituted. |
| 1789 | Congress submits the Bill of Rights for Ratification. |
| 1790 | Hamilton submits his Reports on Public Credit outlines his financial program concerning assumption of state debts. |
| 1791 | The Bank of the United States created, enacting second element of Hamiltonís financial plan. Launches constitutional debate between Jefferson and Hamilton. |
| 1791 | Hamilton submits his Report on Manufactures to Congress calls for high tariff, federal aid for public works projects to promote U.S. industry |
| 1791 | Congress passes Whiskey Tax, on recommendation of Hamilton. |
| 1791 | Bill of Rights ratified by the states. |
| 1793 | France declares war on Britain. |
| 1793 | Proclamation of Neutrality issued by Washington in war between Britain and France. |
| 1793 | Citizen Genet affair - furthers tension between America and France. |
| 1794 | Whiskey Rebellion erupts in rural Pennsylvania over whiskey tax. Washington calls out 13,000 troops to put down the insurrection. |
| 1795 | Jayís Treaty with Britain ratified by narrow margin in the senate. Arouses controversy, particularly along sectional and party lines. |
| 1796 | Pinckneyís Treaty with Spain resolves boundary disputes in the South and West. |
| 1796 | Washingtonís Farewell Address warns against divisiveness of political parties and against entangling alliances with European nations. |
| 1797 | John Adams (Federalist) inaugurated President, Republican Thomas Jefferson is Vice President. |
| 1797 | XYZ Affair results in an undeclared naval war (quasi-war) with France, and sharp rise in anti-French sentiment. |
| 1798 | Alien and Sedition Acts passed by Federalist Congress - inspired in part by anti-French hysteria and designed to silence Republican opposition and strengthen federal government. |
| 1798 | Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions drafted by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison protest the usurpation of power by federal government under Alien and Sedition acts. Promote compact theory of government (state sovereignty) and doctrine of nullification. |
| 1800 | Election decided by the House of Representatives due to a deadlock Thomas Jefferson is chosen, Aaron Burr becomes Vice President. These difficulties result in the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1804. |
| 1800 | Washington D.C. established as the nationís capital - moved from Philadelphia. Washington D.C. is officially incorporated as a city in 1802. |
| 1800 | Treaty of Mortefontaine restores normal diplomatic relations between France and the U.S., ending undeclared naval war. |
| 1801 | John Marshall, a Federalist, is nominated Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by President Adams. |
| 1801 | "Midnight Justices" appointed by President Adams opposition to which will lead to 1803 case Marbury v. Madison. |
| 1802 | Thomas Jefferson inaugurated as President. Aaron Burr is Vice President. |
| 1802 | Excise duties, including controversial whiskey tax, abolished by Congress. |
| 1803 | Naturalization Act of 1798, part of the Alien and Sedition act, nullified by Congress. |
| 1803 | Marbury v. Madison the Supreme Court rules an act of Congress null and void, thus establishing the principle of judicial review. |
| 1803 | Louisiana Purchase for approximately $15 million, the United States purchases the territory from France, thus doubling the land of the United States. Jefferson and Democratic-Republican Congress take a loose construction of the Constitution. |
| 1804 | Lewis and Clark Expedition, sponsored by the U.S. government, sets out |
| 1804 | Federalist associate justice of the Supreme Court Samuel Chase impeached by Republican House of Representatives for partisan conduct unbecoming to a judge. Senate acquits in 1805. |
| 1805 | Hostilities between France and Britain are renewed; harassment of U.S. neutral shipping is reinstituted, leading to public antipathy toward the British. |
| 1805 | Napoleonic wars continue to disrupt American commercial shipping. |
| 1806 | Thomas Jefferson inaugurated for his second term as President. George Clinton is Vice President. |
| 1806 | Report on the continuing British interference with commercial shipping of neutral nations, including America, delivered to Congress by Secretary of State James Madison. Senate issues a resolution condemning British actions as "unprovoked aggression." |
| 1806 | First Non-Importation act passed by Congress - forbids the importation from England of enumerated items. Becomes effective in 1807. |
| 1806 | Ban on all slave importation to the United States, to become effective January 1, 1808, requested by President Jefferson in a message to Congress. |
| 1807 | Monroe-Pinckney Treaty, negotiated between U.S. and Great Britain, is received by President Jefferson failure for American diplomacy because Britain has made no concessions on problems of impressment and interference with American commercial shipping. Jefferson never submits the treaty to Congress; hopes to reopen negotiations. |
| 1807 | Leopard-Chesapeake Affair British ship, the Leopard, tries to stop the U.S.S. Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia. British commander insists that four men on the Chesapeake are British deserters and demands their surrender. American commander refuses to acquiesce; British open fire. The incident brings Britain and the U.S. to the brink of war. |
| 1807 | Robert Fultonís steamboat, the Clermont, travels from New York City to Albany, inaugurating the era of commercially successful steamboat navigation. |
| 1807 | First Non-Importation act becomes effective fails to secure any concessions from the British in the matter of harassment of American commercial shipping. |
| 1807 | Embargo Act requested by President Jefferson in a message to Congress Federalist faction tries, but fails, to block this measure; embargo on all trade with foreign nations becomes law. Forbids all American ships to set sail for foreign ports. The act is widely protested in states with maritime interests, such as New England. |
| 1808 | Second and third Embargo acts are passed, reinforcing the first poses economic hardships on New England states and does not achieve concessions from Britain. |
| 1809 | Enforcement Act passed designed to enforce Embargo Acts by halting smuggling activities; leads to further protest in New England, and interpretation of the Embargo Act as pro-French and anti-British. |
| 1809 | New England Conventions called to nullify the Embargo. Governor of Connecticut, John Trumbull, maintains that the Embargo Acts are an unconstitutional exercise of power by the federal government. |
| 1809 | Non-Intercourse Act signed by President Jefferson in response to widespread opposition to the Embargo Acts reopens all overseas commerce to American shipping, except that of France and Britain. Should France, Britain, or both, halt their interference with neutral shipping, trade may resume with these nations as well. |
| 1809 | James Madison inaugurated as President. George Clinton is Vice President. |
| 1809 | Proclamation reinstating trade with Great Britain issued by President Madison. |
| 1809 | Reinstatement of Non-Intercourse Act by President Madison. |
| 1810 | Maconís Bill #2 passed by Congress - authorizes President Madison to reopen trade with Britain and France, but stipulates that he may restore non-intercourse with either nation if interference with American shipping does not cease. |
| 1810 | Midterm elections drastically alter political alignment of both houses prevalent nationalism and pro-war sentiment sweep the "War Hawks" into office. |
| 1811 | Reinstatement of non-intercourse policy against Great Britain. |
| 1812 | President Madison asks Congress for a declaration of war against Great Britain. Congress supports war, except for most New England states and other maritime and commercial states such as New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. |
| 1812 | James Monroe is inaugurated for his second term as President. He has defeated antiwar candidate DeWitt Clinton of New York. Madisonís Vice President is Elbridge Gerry. |
| 1814 | Hartford Convention secretly convenes - 26 Federalist antiwar delegates gather to adopt a series of statesí rights proposals in the form of amendments to the Constitution. News of the New Orleans victory brings the Convention to an end, and the Convention will become an object of public derision, as well as an excuse to levy accusations of conspiracy and treason, thus hastening the demise of the Federalist party. |
| 1814 | Treaty of Ghent signed by American and British peace commissioners, ending the war of 1812 provides for release of prisoners and restoration of conquered territory, but does not resolve maritime issues. |
| 1814 | Battle of New Orleans - unaware that peace has been declared, Andrew Jackson leads American soldiers into the most spectacular land victory of the war. |
| 1815 | Treaty of Ghent unanimously ratified by the Senate |
| 1816 | Second Bank of the United States established. |
| 1816 | Tariff Act of 1816 passed by Congress - perpetuates protective duties set during the War of 1812 to shelter developing American industries facing foreign competition. |
| 1817 | Federally financed public works projects, such as roads and canals, passed by Congress New England Federalists oppose the bill, fearing its impetus to westward expansion. This bill is vetoed by Madison, who does not accept the implied powers interpretation of the Constitution with regard to federally funded internal improvements. |
| 1817 | James Monroe is inaugurated as President. Federalists lose seats in Congress. Daniel Tomkins of New York is Vice President. The Democratic-Republican party has adopted the nationalistic principles of the waning Federalist party, thus ushering in the "Era of Good Feelings" |
| 1817 | Erie Canal project is launched. |
| 1819 | Dartmouth College v. Woodward - Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall issues the opinion that a private corporate charter is a contract and therefore cannot be revised or broken by a state. Business growth is encouraged; corporations are thus ruled free of state control. |
| 1819 | Adams-Onis Treaty is signed Spain cedes East Florida to the U.S. and renounces any claims to West Florida. |
| 1819 | McCulloch v. Maryland - Supreme Court finds that a state (Maryland) cannot tax an agency of the United States, including the federal bank, thus upholding the principle of federal sovereignty. The court also upholds the right of Congress to create the bank, under Hamiltonian doctrines of "implied powers" and "loose construction." |
| 1821 | President Monroe and Vice-President Daniel Tompkins are inaugurated for their second terms in office. |
| 1823 | Monroe Doctrine presented to Congress by President Monroe - proclaims that the Americas will no longer be the object of European colonization, and that the U.S. would consider dangerous the attempt of any European nation to extend its political systems to the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. will not interfere with any existing European colonies in the New World, or interfere in European internal affairs. |
| 1824 | Gibbons v. Ogden - Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall rules that a monopoly granted by the New York State legislature for steamboat navigation between New York and New Jersey is unconstitutional because only the Federal Government has jurisdiction over interstate commerce. |