The Young Nation

The Treaty of Paris Officially ended the Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain Gave the Northwest Territory to the United States Although this was a huge gain in territory, it also created a number of problems

The Articles of Confederation These were adopted to govern the United States after the Revolutionary War They were in effect from 1781-1789 The Constitution replaced them, creating an Executive and Judicial branch Executive branch was in charge of coordinating the actions of the government

George Washington First US President, served from 1789-1797 Set many of the precedents regarding policy and presidential powers Established a two-term tradition with his farewell speech This tradition was legally confirmed with the 22nd amendment

John Adams 2nd US President, served from 1797-1801 During his presidency he built up the navy and solidified the federal government Signed the famous Alien and Sedition Acts These 5 acts made it more difficult to become an American citizen and also limited freedom of speech against the Federal Government.

Thomas Jefferson 3rd President (1801-1809) Served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington A “Renaissance Man”, which meant that he was multi talented and highly educated President during the Louisiana Purchase

Louisiana Purchase Purchased from France for roughly 42 cents per acre in modern terms ($15 million in 1803) Largest territorial gain in US history, doubling the size of the United States Since the boundaries of the purchase were unclear, 3 expeditions were made to chart it The most famous of these was that of Lewis and Clark in 1804