Sabrina Charatain Essay

Political History
This essay will discuss the political history of the United Sates from Washington Administration to the election of William Henry Harrison. George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States in a vote by state electors in 1789. One month later on March 4, the constitution goes into effect, having been ratified by nine states, along with U.S. Congress meeting for the first time at Federal Hall in New York City. Washington is inaugurated as president at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30. In 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court meets for the first time at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City on February 2. The court, made up of one chief justice and five associate justices, hears its first case in 1792. The nation's first census shows that the population has climbed to nearly 4 million. In 1791, first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified on December 15. In 1793, Washington's second inauguration is held in Philadelphia on March 4. Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin greatly increases the demand for slave labor.
In 1797, John Adams is inaugurated as the second president in Philadelphia on March 4. In 1800, the U.S. capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. on June 15. U.S. Congress meets in Washington, DC, for the first time on November 17. Gabriel Prosser, an enslaved African American blacksmith, organizes a slave revolt intending to march on Richmond, Virginia. The conspiracy is uncovered, and Prosser and a number of the rebels are hanged. Virginia's slave laws are consequently tightened. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC on March 4. In 1803, Marbury v. Madison: Landmark Supreme Court decision greatly expands the power of the court by establishing its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional on February 24. United States agrees to pay France $15 million for the Louisiana Purchase, which extends west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and comprises about 830,000 square miles. However, the treaty was signed May 2. As a result, the U.S. nearly doubles in size.

In 1804, Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Missouri on an expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean on May 14. Jefferson's had his second inauguration on March 4. In 1805, Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean on November 15. In 1809, James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president on March 4. The War of 1812 is when U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion on June 18, 1812. Madison's later has his second inauguration on March 4, 1813. British capture Washington, DC, and set fire to White House and Capitol in August 1814. Francis Scott Key writes Star-Spangled Banner as he watches British attack on Fort McHenry at Baltimore. Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war in December 24, 1814.
In 1820, Missouri Compromise was an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts) is admitted as a free state so that Missouri can be admitted as a slave state; except for Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30' on March 3. In 1823, Monroe Doctrine: In his annual address to Congress, President Monroe declares that the American continents are henceforth off-limits for further colonization by European powers on Dec. 2. In 1830, President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, which authorizes the forced removal of Native Americans living in the eastern part of the country to lands west of the Mississippi River on May 28. By the late 1830s the Jackson administration has relocated nearly 50,000 Native Americans.
In 1836, Texas declares its independence from Mexico on March 1. Texan defenders of the Alamo are all killed during siege by the Mexican Army (Feb. 24–March 6). Texans defeat Mexicans at San Jacinto on April 21. In 1838, more than 15,000 Cherokee Indians are forced to march from Georgia to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 die from starvation and disease along the “Trail of Tears.” In 1841, William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president on March 4. He dies one month later on April 4 and is succeeded in office by his vice president, John Tyler.