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After winning their independence, Americans continued to experiment with how to govern themselves under the Articles of Confederation. Over time, some influential groups--and these by no means reflected the sentiments of all Americans--found the Confederation government inadequate. Representatives of these groups came together in Philadelphia to explore the creation of yet another, newer form of government. The result was a new constitution. Not all Americans embraced this new Constitution, however, and ratification of the document produced many disagreements. Even so, the Constitution was ratified, and with a new constitution in place, Americans once again turned to George Washington for leadership, this time as President of the new republic. Although Washington proved to be personally popular and respected, conflict over the proper functions and locus of governmental power dominated his two terms as president. These disputes soon led to the formation of factions and then political parties that were deeply divided over the nature and purposes of the federal government, over foreign affairs, and over the very future of the new nation. Events during the single term of John Adams, our second president, made these divisions even worse and they continued into the presidency of Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809).
Even so, President Jefferson nearly doubled the size of the new
nation by purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France. This purchase
also led Jefferson to form the Lewis and Clark expedition to discover
just what was contained in the new land. Jefferson's successor as
President, James Madison (1809-1817)--one of authors of the constitution--led
the new nation through another war with Great Britain. This, of course,
was the unpopular War of 1812. This war ended in 1815 and if nothing else
it convinced Britain that the United States was on the map to stay.
Meanwhile, Americans began to develop a culture and way of life that
was truly their own and no longer that of mere colonials. |
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Last updated 09/26/2002 |