The Early National Period

This volume in the acclaimed Eyewitness History series covers the period 1783 to 1828, picking up after the conclusion of the American Revolution and continuing up to the years when America was expanding westward. It features a historical narrative that provides an overview of the period, a chronology, and hundreds of eyewitness testimonies from people who witness or lived through the political events, social changes, popular culture, and economic changes in this important period. It also deals with recent insights about the importance of race and women's history in the new nation. Eyewitness testimony from political leaders, inventors, social commentators, women, African Americans, Indians, and many others are included, and among the many military events covered are the Quasi-War with France, the Tripolitan Wars, Indian fighting, the Seminole Wars, and the War of 1812. Material on Canada is included, since the fates of Canada and the United States were closely linked in the period, and the connection in made particularly clear in the chapter on the War of 1812, which took place in both countries Simultaneously. To stimulate interest in students and provide the most comprehensive account of the period, this book also includes documents, capsule biographies of key figures, a bibliography, an index, and more than 80 black-and-white photographs.