New Nation (1783-1800)

The thirteen American colonies began a rebellion against British rule in 1775 and proclaimed their independence in 1776. They subsequently constituted the first thirteen states of the United States of America, which became a nation in 1781 with the ratification of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. The 1783 Treaty of Paris represented Great Britain's formal acknowledgement of the United States as an independent nation.

The United States defeated Great Britain with help from France and Spain in the American Revolutionary War. The colonists' victory at Saratoga in 1777 led the French into an open alliance with the United States. In 1781, a combined American and French Army, acting with the support of a French fleet, captured a large British army led by General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. The surrender of General Cornwallis ended serious British efforts to find a military solution to their American problem.

Seymour Martin Lipset points out that "The United States was the first major colony successfully to revolt against colonial rule. In this sense, it was the first 'new nation.'" On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress, still meeting in Philadelphia, declared the independence of "the United States of America" in the Declaration of Independence. Although the states were still independent entities and not yet formally bound in a legal union, July 4 is celebrated as the nation's birthday. The new nation was dedicated to principles of republicanism, which emphasized civic duty and a fear of corruption and hereditary aristocracy.

In its earliest forms, the United States government was far from cohesive. A series of attempts to outline and press reforms culminated in the Congress calling the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The structure of the national government was profoundly changed on March 4, 1789, when the American people replaced the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution. The new government reflected a radical break from the normative governmental structures of the time, favoring representative, elective government with a weak executive, rather than the existing monarchical structures common within the western traditions of the time.

The system of republicanism borrowed heavily from Enlightenment Age ideas and classical western philosophy in that a primacy was placed upon individual liberty and upon constraining the power of government through division of powers and a system of checks and balances. Additionally, the Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791 to guarantee individual liberties such as freedom of speech and religious practice and consisted of the first ten amendments of the Constitution. John Jay was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, whose membership was established by the Judiciary Act of 1789; the first Supreme Court session was held in New York City on February 1, 1790. In 1803, the Court case Marbury v. Madison made the Court the sole arbiter of constitutionality of federal law.

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1776
by David McCullough
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1776
by David McCullough
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55 Men: The Story of the Constitution
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A is for Abigail
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America Grows Up
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America is Born
A History for Peter #1
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American Children Through Their Books
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American History Stories Volume 2
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American Plague
by Jim Murphy
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2004 Newbery Honor Book, 2004 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner, NCTE Orbi Pictus Award
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Americanization of Benjamin Franklin
by Gordon S. Wood
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Are We to Be a Nation?
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B. Franklin, Printer
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Beginning of the Republic
A Basic History of the United States Volume 2
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Ben Franklin
See and Read: Beginning to Read Biography
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Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
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Black Man in America
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1937 Newbery Honor Book
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Documenting U.S. History
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Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History
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Early American History for Intermediate Grades - Guide
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For You They Signed
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For You They Signed
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Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
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From Colonies to Country with George Washington - Book Only
My American Journey
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From Colonies to Country with George Washington - Set
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From Sea to Shining Sea
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From Sea to Shining Sea for Children
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George Washington
Heroes of History
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George Washington
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George Washington & the Founding of a Nation
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George Washington - Coloring Book
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George Washington You Never Knew
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George Washington's World (pictorial hardcover)
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Grand Papa and Ellen Aroon
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Great Little Madison
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History of Human Society: Pioneer America
The History of Human Society
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History of US Book 3
History of US Book 3
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 4
History of US Book 4
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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How Our Nation Began
Christian Social History Series
by Don Sharkey, Sister Margaret, and Rt. Rev. Msgr. Philip J. Furlong
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If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution
If You Were There
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In Defense of Liberty
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Inventing America: The Life of Benjamin Franklin
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John Adams
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John Hancock: A Signature Life
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John, Paul, George & Ben
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Joke's on George
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Liberty Bell
Primary Sources of American Symbols
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Life & Times of Washington
by Mario Rivoire, translated by C.J. Richards
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Life and Letters of Benjamin Franklin
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Life of George Washington
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Life of Washington
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Life of Washington
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Making It Go: The Life and Work of Robert Fulton
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Making of America
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Making of George Washington
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Making of the Constitution
Jackdaw No. A8
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Meet George Washington
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Meet George Washington
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First Scholastic Printing 2001 from Scholastic Inc.
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Meet Thomas Jefferson
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Meet Thomas Jefferson
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Miracle at Philadelphia
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More Perfect Union
The American Story Series
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Historical Reference for 2nd-6th grade
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On the Road to Independence
To Pledge Allegiance #3
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One Nation Under Debt
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Patrick Henry
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Patrick Henry
The Founding Fathers
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Picture Book of Patrick Henry
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Plain & Fancy
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Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
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Presidency of George Washington
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Real Book about George Washington
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Revolutionary John Adams
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Shh! We're Writing the Constitution
by Jean Fritz
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Shh! We're Writing the Constitution
by Jean Fritz
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Shh! We're Writing the Constitution!
by Jean Fritz
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Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Story of the Constitution
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Marilyn Prolman
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