Early Modern
Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787): Farmers' Uprising in Massachusetts
The uprising was put down by state militia, but it led to tax relief in Massachusetts and strengthened calls for a stronger federal constitution.
Region
Americas
Early Modern
Northwest Ordinance (1787): Governing the Old Northwest
Congress created the Northwest Territory, set a path from territory to equal statehood and prohibited slavery north of the Ohio River.
Early Modern
The Federalist Papers (1787–1788): Hamilton, Madison and Jay
The essays helped make the case for ratification and became the most influential commentary on the US Constitution.
Early Modern
US Constitution (1787): Philadelphia Convention and Ratification
The convention replaced the Articles of Confederation with a new federal constitution, which was ratified in 1788 and took effect in 1789.
Prehistory
Megatherium: The Giant Ground Sloth Found in Argentina in 1787
The Luján skeleton became one of the first fossil vertebrates ever mounted and, through Cuvier, a founding piece of evidence for extinction.
Early Modern
First Inauguration of George Washington (1789) in New York
Washington became the first President of the United States, launching the executive branch created by the new Constitution.
Early Modern
US Bill of Rights (1789): The First Ten Amendments Explained
Ten amendments protecting individual rights and limiting federal power were added to the US Constitution in December 1791.
Early Modern
George Vancouver's Expedition (1791-1795): The Northwest Coast
The coast from California to Alaska was accurately charted, ending hopes of a Northwest Passage in temperate latitudes.
Early Modern
Whiskey Rebellion (1791–1794): Revolt Against the Whiskey Tax
A federal militia army of about 13,000 ended the resistance without a battle, establishing the new government's power to enforce federal law.
Early Modern
Haitian Revolution (1791): The Slave Uprising in Saint-Domingue
The uprising led to the abolition of slavery in Saint-Domingue in 1793–1794 and ultimately to Haitian independence in 1804.
Early Modern
Alien and Sedition Acts (1798): Free Speech in the Early Republic
The laws were used to prosecute Republican editors and critics; they became deeply unpopular, contributed to the Federalists' defeat in 1800 and mostly expired by 1801.
Modern Era
Louisiana Purchase (1803): How the United States Doubled in Size
France sold its claim to Louisiana to the United States for about 15 million dollars, roughly doubling the area of the young republic.