The ratification of the Constitution and election of George Washington as America’s first president finally settled the turbulent times of the Revolution and Articles of Confederation. However, other troubles for the new Republic lay ahead. In the summer of 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania led a protest known as the Whiskey Rebellion that Washington himself went to put down.
A divide in Washington’s Cabinet led to the development of America’s first political parties: Federalists and Democratic- Republicans. Washington warned against this development along with America getting entangled in foreign affairs in his famous Farewell Address. His Vice President John Adams succeeded him as America’s second president and saw several crises. Most notable was the XYZ Affair and resulting Quasi-War with France. The resulting unrest led Adams to sign 4 bills known as the Alien and Sedition Acts. These controversial laws made it harder for an immigrant to become a citizen, allowed the president to imprison non-citizens who were deemed dangerous, and criminalized making false statements that were critical of the government.
Adams was defeated by Jefferson in the Election of 1800. Jefferson called it a “Second Revolution” as it saw the peaceful transfer of power to his Democratic-Republican Party. Jefferson oversaw the expansion of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase and began a “Virginia Dynasty” that held the presidency from 1801 to 1825. After Jefferson’s two terms as president, he was followed by two other two-term Democratic-Republicans from Virginia, James Madison and James Monroe. While Madison saw America go back to war with England in the War of 1812, Monroe led America into a peaceful time known as the “Era of Good Feelings”.