This timeline focuses on the formation of the new American nation and its early expansion, including the ratification of the Constitution and the Louisiana Purchase.
Confederation Period
1783 - 1789
The Articles of Confederation govern the newly independent states. The Philadelphia Convention drafts a new Constitution in 1787, which is ratified by the necessary number of states by 1788.
First Federal Government
1789
George Washington becomes the first President of the United States under the new Constitution on April 30, 1789.
Louisiana Purchase
1803
The United States purchases a vast territory from France, doubling the size of the country.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
1804 - 1806
Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark lead an expedition to explore the new territory and find a route to the Pacific Ocean.