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The Presidency of John Adams
To avoid a war with France, in 1797, President John Adams sent a diplomatic delegation to Paris to calm rising tensions. When our team arrived in France in October 1797, they were approached by three French officials whose code-names were X, Y, and Z. These Frenchmen demanded large bribes from the Americans for themselves and other French officials before negotiations could start.
John Adams and the Presidential Election of 1796
After eight years as Vice President under George Washington, John Adams hoped to succeed the Father of our Country as President of the United States. His successful election in 1796 gave him his chance.
John Adams, Our First Vice President
John Adams was our nation’s first Vice President and helped shape the responsibilities of the office. Moreover, as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, Vice President Adams was instrumental in passing several key pieces of legislation and establishing important precedents.
America’s Founding Era, A Time of Political Unity
During America’s founding era, our country was more politically unified than at any other time in our nation’s history. That is not to say politicians did not squabble because they did. The unity was reflected in the lack of political parties at first and then essentially having only one party for a quarter of a century.
George Washington Discourages Debt and Foreign Entanglements
In his Farewell Address, President Washington shared his thoughts on several topics, including our national debt and the need for our country to remain fiscally prudent.
George Washington Calls for Unity in Farewell Address
After eight years in office, President Washington was ready to step down. He had planned to retire at the end of his first term but was talked out of it. During this second run at saying goodbye to public life, Washington was determined to finally retire.
Washington’s Farewell Address: One of Our Nation’s Most Significant Documents
George Washington’s Farewell Address is one of the greatest documents in our nation’s history. It was a letter written by President Washington to his fellow citizens as he neared the end of his second term as President.
Pinckney’s Treaty Opens Up the Mississippi, Encouraging Westward Expansion
The Treaty of San Lorenzo, also known as Pinckney’s Treaty, was an agreement signed on October 27, 1795 between the United States and Spain. It settled a dispute between the two nations over the boundary of Spanish Florida and granted navigation rights on the Mississippi River to Americans.
The Jay Treaty Averts War with England
The Jay Treaty, officially known as the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, was signed on November 19, 1794. Its primary goal was to cool rising tensions between England and America.
George Washington, First in the Hearts of His Countrymen
President Washington was again unanimously elected in 1792 and sworn in on March 4, 1793. Although he had not wanted a second term, most our country’s leaders, including Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, felt the nation needed his leadership and would suffer without it. Reluctantly, he had agreed to another four years.
George Washington, The Only Man for the Job
In 1787, congressional delegates met in Philadelphia for a Constitutional Convention and created a new form of government. One key change was the creation of a strong Executive or President. Virtually everyone knew there was only one man strong enough to lead the nation and conscientious enough to be entrusted with so much power. That man, of course, was George Washington.
Creating America: The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created the Northwest Territory, officially known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, but also called the Old Northwest. This legislation, enacted by the Congress of the Confederation on July 13, 1787, was our country’s first organized incorporated territory and our initial attempt at expanding the new nation.