1780-early 1800’s

  • Thomas Jefferson and New Lands

    Thomas Jefferson and New Lands

    Thomas Jefferson believed that a strong, free nation could only be maintained by strong, free people. For centuries in Europe, most people had belonged to a class system. Peasants worked on farms or in factories for a few people who owned most of the land and wealth. Peasants had little…


  • The Bill of Rights

    The Bill of Rights

    The Constitution lays out the organization of our government with three governmental branches. The Constitution doesn’t say much about the rights of the people, though. This concerned the Founding Fathers. In 1789, James Madison offered several amendments to the Constitution which protected individual liberty. Congress approved the additions, which became…


  • The Early Federal Government and Political Parties

    The Early Federal Government and Political Parties

    George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army, guiding the country to freedom, but his role didn’t end after the Revolutionary War. George Washington was so beloved that he was unanimously voted the first President of the United States. He served for two terms (eight years). He had given…