Table of Contents
- 1. The Young Republic: 1788–1815
- 2. Era of Good Feelings and the Common Man: 1815–1840
- 3. Antebellum Period: 1840–1860
- 4. Civil War: 1861–1865
- 5. Reconstruction: 1865–1877
- 6. Gilded Age: 1877–1900
- 7. Progressive Era: 1900–1920
- 8. Roaring Twenties: 1920–1929
- 9. The New Deal and the Era of Reform: 1929–1945
- 10. The Cold War and Civil Rights Era: 1945–1968
- 11. Détente and Rapprochement: 1968–1989
- 12. The New World Order: 1989–Present
Political Science
American Presidency
The first four presidents of the United States (Library of Congress)
1. The Young Republic: 1788–1815
The American experiment was launched under the guidance of four men who had been deeply involved in the nation's founding—George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. The new republic was striving to enact the ideals embodied in its Declaration of Independence and Constitution while finding its place among the community of nations.
Documents
- George Washington: First Inaugural Address (1789)
- James Madison's Speech to the House of Representatives Proposing a Bill of Rights (1789)
- George Washington: First Annual Message to Congress (1790)
- Thomas Jefferson: “Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank” (1791)
- George Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)
- James Monroe's Address to the National Convention of France (1794)
- George Washington: Farewell Address (1796)
- John Adams: Inaugural Address (1797)
- James Madison's Virginia Resolutions (1798)
- Thomas Jefferson: First Inaugural Address (1801)
- Thomas Jefferson: Message to Congress about the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803)
- Thomas Jefferson: Letter to Indiana Territory Governor William H. Harrison (1803)
- Thomas Jefferson's Second Inaugural Address (1805)
