History Logo
ShowsThis Day In HistoryScheduleTopicsStories
  • History Classics
  • Live TV
  • Your Profile
Your Profile
History
  • Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
Email Updates
  • Live TV
  • History Classics
  • Shows
  • This Day In History
  • Schedule
  • Topics
  • Stories
  • Videos
  • History Podcasts
  • History Vault
  • Shop
  • History Travel
  1. Home
  2. Topics
  3. Early U.S.

Early U.S.

The years following the American Revolution were challenging for the new nation, which struggled with the Articles of Confederation, Shay's Rebellion, Federalism, the Alien and Sedition Acts and more.

Topics

See All

1786: American troops fighting rebels during Shay's rebellion in Western Massachusetts. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Featured

Shays’ Rebellion

What Caused Shays’ Rebellion? The farmers who fought in the Revolutionary War had received little compensation, and by the 1780s many were struggling to make ends meet. Businesses in Boston and elsewhere demanded immediate payment for goods that farmers had previously bought on credit and often paid off through barter. There was no paper money […]

Read moreRead more about Shays’ Rebellion
HISTORY: Federalist Papers

Federalist Papers

Articles of Confederation As the first written constitution of the newly independent United States, the Articles of Confederation nominally granted Congress the power to conduct foreign policy, maintain armed forces and coin money. But in practice, this centralized government body had little authority over the individual states, including no power to levy taxes or regulate […]

Read more
Whiskey Rebel's Presidential Pardon

Whiskey Rebellion

What Caused the Whiskey Rebellion?  During the American Revolution, individual states incurred significant amounts of debt. In 1790, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton pushed for the federal government to take over that debt. He also suggested an excise tax on whiskey to prevent further financial difficulty. President George Washington was opposed to Hamilton’s suggestion of a […]

Read more
A cartoon portrays a fight on the floor of Congress between Vermont Representative Matthew Lyon and Roger Griswold of Connecticut. With tensions already high due to the controversy over the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts, the fight was ignited by an insult from Griswold to Lyon.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Dueling Political Parties  The Federalist Party, which supported a strong central government, had largely dominated politics in the new nation before 1796 when John Adams won election as the second U.S. president. In opposition to the Federalists stood the Democratic-Republican Party, also known as Jeffersonians for their ideological leader, Thomas Jefferson. The Democratic-Republican Party (forerunner […]

Read more

Stories

See All

What is Federalism and Why Did the Founding Fathers Create It?

Featured

When the Founding Fathers Settled States’ vs. Federal Rights—And Saved the Nation

The word ‘federalism’ doesn’t appear in the Constitution, but the concept is baked into the document as a novel approach to establishing state and national powers.

Read moreRead more about When the Founding Fathers Settled States’ vs. Federal Rights—And Saved the Nation
Shays Rebellion monument.

How Shays’ Rebellion Changed America

Get the story behind the uprising that propelled the Constitutional Convention to form a stronger national government.

Read more
History of American Whiskey

When Whiskey Was the Backbone of the US Economy

A surplus of U.S. corn crops led to a boom in whiskey sales—and consumption—following the Revolutionary War.

Read more
General George Armstrong Custer

10 Surprising Facts About General Custer

The controversial general was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Read more

Videos

See All

2:17 minTV-PG
Play

Featured

Articles of Confederation

Before the U.S. Constitution was the law of the land, there were the Articles of Confederation. Find out why they didn’t last long.

Watch nowWatch now video about Articles of Confederation
1:07 minTV-14

The Pledge of Allegiance

Take a look back at the origins of and history behind the customary salute to the American flag.

Watch now
2:42 minTV-G

Puritanism

How did the differences between Pilgrims and Puritans help shape the states of New England?

Watch now
1:00 minTV-PG

This Day in History: 07/11/1804 – Burr Slays Hamilton in Duel

Watch now

This Day in History

See All

1791

Native Americans deliver crushing defeat at the Battle of the Wabash

Early U.S.
1791

Benjamin Banneker writes to Thomas Jefferson, urging justice for African Americans

Early U.S.

This Day in History: 07/11/1804 – Burr Slays Hamilton in Duel

Early U.S.

This Day In History: 09/18/1793- Capitol Cornerstone is Laid

Early U.S.

This Day in History: 10/13/1792 – White House Cornerstone Laid

Early U.S.

This Day In History: 09/27/1964 – Warren Commission Report Released

Early U.S.
A+E NetworksOur Family of Brands
  • History Education
  • History Vault
  • Mobile/Apps
  • News
  • Shop
  • Share Your Opinion
Follow History
  • d
  • e
  • p
  • m
  • +
  • Biography
  • Crime and Investigation
  • History en Espanol
  • LRW
  • Military History
  • Ad Choices
  • Advertise With Us
  • Accessibility Support
  • Copyright Policy
  • Corporate Information
  • Employment Opportunities
  • FAQ/Contact Us
  • Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Notice
  • Terms Of Use
  • TV Parental Guidelines
  • Contact Us
  • Copyright Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Ad Choices
  • Accessibility Support

© 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.