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March 1, 1781
The Articles of Confederation Become Law
Maryland is the last state to ratify the Articles of Confederation and they become the law of the land.
May 20, 1785
The Ordinance of 1785 Is Passed
The Ordinance of 1785 establishes the protocol for settlement of western lands.
1786
Chief Joseph Brant Organizes an Alliance of The Northwest Tribes
Chief Joseph Brant allies the tribes of the northwest wilderness in an effort to resist white settlement on Native American lands.
August 1786
Outbreak Of Shays’s Rebellion
Western Massachusetts farmers, under the pressures of economic depression, organize in an attempt to shut down three county courthouses through violent means. The rebellion is put down, but highlight the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
September 11-14, 1786
The Annapolis Convention
Originally planning to discuss the promotion of interstate commerce, delegates from five states meet at Annapolis and end up suggesting a convention to amend the Articles of Confederation.
May 25-September 27, 1787
The Constitutional Convention
Delegates of every state but Rhode Island meet in Philadelphia to discuss the amendment of the Articles of Confederation. Though it was not their original intent they decide to scrap the Articles, and produce the Constitution, laying out a new framework of government.
July 13,1787
The Northwest Ordinance Is Passed
The Northwest Ordinance defines the process by which new states could be admitted into the Union from the Northwest Territory.
July 17, 1787
The Connecticut Compromise Is Approved
By The Constitutional Convention Ending weeks of stalemate, the Connecticut Compromise reconciles the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan for determining legislative representation in Congress. The Connecticut Compromise establishes equal representation for all states in the Senate and proportional representation by population in the House of Representatives.
September 17, 1787
The Constitution Is Approved by the Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention officially endorses the Constitution and sends it to the states for ratification.
June 21, 1788
New Hampshire Becomes the Ninth State to Ratify the Constitution
Having been ratified by two-thirds of the states, the Constitution becomes the law of the land.
March 4, 1789
The First Congress Under the Constitution Convenes In New York
The first Congress convenes, symbolizing the beginning of a long period of working out the details of the new government.
April 30, 1789
George Washington Is Inaugurated
Washington, the nation's first president, takes the Oath of Office.
January 1790
Alexander Hamilton Presents His Report on Public Credit to Congress
Hamilton suggests the national assumption of state debt, the sale of US government bonds, and the establishment of a permanent national debt. Though met with opposition, his measures pass in Congress.
December 1790
Hamilton Presents his Report on a National Bank to Congress
Hamilton’s most controversial proposal, he suggests the creation of the Bank of the United States as a depository for federal revenue and a source of federal loans. The bank is granted a 20-year charter in February 1791.
December 1791
Hamilton Presents his Report on Manufacturers to Congress
Hamilton’s report on Manufactures suggests a policy of protectionism, levying high tariffs on imports and providing incentives for goods to be imported on American ships. The high tariffs do not pass Congress, but a number of protectionist proposals do.
June 1, 1792
Kentucky Admitted to the Union
As the US expands into the Southwest, Kentucky becomes the first new state in that region. It is followed on June 1, 1796 by Tennessee.
April 22, 1793
Washington Issues the Proclamation of American Neutrality
The Proclamation of American Neutrality is Washington’s response to the division of the nation between those advocating support of the French and those in favor of the British; those two nations had gone to war with one another as part of the fallout of the French Revolution.
February 1794
Canada’s Royal Governor Denies US Claims to Land in The Northwest Territory
Canada's royal government, speaking to a Native American audience, denies US claims to land north of the Ohio River as granted by the Treaty of Paris. He encourages Indian tribes to resist white settlement of the land, and the British begin construction of Fort Miami on US territory.
July 1794
The Whiskey Rebellion
Distillers in western Pennsylvania, angry at the imposition of a heavy excise tax on Whiskey rebel, attack a tax collector, lay siege to the house of the chief revenue officer's house, and threaten to secede. George Washington himself led troops into Pennsylvania to crush the rebellion.
June 25, 1795
Jay’s Treaty Is Signed
Jay’s Treaty provides for the removal of British troops from American land, and avoids the outbreak of war with Britain.
August 3, 1795
The Treaty of Greenville Is Signed
General Anthony Wayne concludes his military campaign against the Native Americans of the northwest with this treaty, which ends hostilities and opens the land that is now Ohio to settlement.
October 27, 1795
The Treaty of San Lorenzo Is Signed
The Treaty of San Lorenzo heads off war with Spain, removes Spanish troops from American land, and opens the Mississippi to US commerce.
September 19, 1796
Washington’s Farewell Address
After two terms, George Washington officially resigns the presidency, exhorting future generations to avoid the division of the nation into political parties and to maintain an isolationist foreign policy.
March 4, 1797
John Adams Inaugurated
Adams succeeds George Washington and becomes the second president of the United States after a tight election. Thomas Jefferson, the runner-up, becomes vice president.
October 1797
The XYZ Affair
French foreign minister Charles de Tallyrand refuses to meet with an American diplomatic envoy unless paid $250,000 for himself and guaranteed a $12 million loan for France. The American public is outraged.
June-July 1798
Alien and Sedition Acts Passed
Adams signs the four measures that make up the Alien and Sedition Acts into law, rousing staunch opposition from Republicans and even some Federalists. The Alien and Sedition Acts represent the height of Federalist expansion of the powers of national government.
November-December 1798
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions Are Adopted
Kentucky and Virginia adopt resolutions, written anonymously by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, which affirm the doctrine of states’ rights over the national government, and assert that states maintain the power of interposition, allowing them to review the constitutionality of congressional measures.
