The Continental Congress in a Nutshell
Much acclaim is given to the Continental Congress, which was populated by many eminent figures of the founding era. However, the body was unprecedented, extralegal, and virtually powerless.
Tag Archives: American History
Shays’ Rebellion in a Nutshell
In 1786, a group of veterans from the War for Independence challenged the republican government of Massachusetts over harsh taxation and the lack of debt relief. To many, Shays’ Rebellion necessitated the grant of additional power to Congress…but did it really?
The Compromise of 1790 in a Nutshell
In 1790, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton proposed assuming the outstanding state debts in order to create an overarching national debt. When he did so, uproar ensued. But why was this such a controversial subject, and how did it bring the United States Capitol to Washington, DC?
The Whiskey Rebellion in a Nutshell
The severance of the American colonies from Great Britain began, in large part, over the constitutional implications of British taxation. However, a concerted tax revolt in the early 1790s, the Whiskey Rebellion, was viewed as an existential threat to the fledgling United States.
The Jay Treaty in a Nutshell
John Jay returned from Britain in 1794, carrying with him treaty that normalized relations between the United States and its former mother country. He was greeted to a hero’s welcome by the Federalists, but was held in contempt by Republicans. The country became bitterly divided, and Jay’s likeness was hung in effigy in every corner of the country.
The Louisiana Purchase in a Nutshell
The 1803 Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States, adding the massive territory at the mere price of three cents per acre. But did you know that the arrangement sparked a sectional secession movement and constitutional crisis?