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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A is for Abigail
by Lynne Cheney
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-4th grade
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Abigail Adams
by Natalie S. Bober
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Abigail Adams
A Discovery Book
by Helen Stone Peterson, illustrated by Betty Fraser
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Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
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by Russel & Anna Crouse
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America in the Time of George Washington
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
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Americanization of Benjamin Franklin
by Gordon S. Wood
from Penguin Books
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B. Franklin, Printer
by David A. Adler
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Ben Franklin
See and Read: Beginning to Read Biography
by Estelle Friedman, illustrated by James Caraway
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Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
Landmark Series
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Benjamin Franklin
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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$11.99
Benjamin Franklin
Makers of America
by Ruth Cromer Weir, illustrated by Rus Anderson
from Abingdon Press
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Benjamin Franklin, American Genius
by Brandon Marie Miller
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Biography of George Washington
Sons of Liberty Series
by William M. Thayer
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
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Chief Seattle
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Christianity and the Constitution
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Cobblestone Magazine: Thomas Jefferson
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Daniel Boone
by Carol Greene
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Davy Crockett
by George Edward Stanley
from Sterling Publishing Co.
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Dolly Madison
Landmark #47
by Jane Mayer
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For You They Signed
by Marilyn Boyer
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For You They Signed
by Marilyn Boyer
All-in-One Edition from Master Books
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$39.19
Francis Asbury
by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biographies for 4th-7th grade
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Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
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from Penguin Press
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From Colonies to Country with George Washington - Set
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George Washington
by Verna Hall
from Foundation for American Christian Education
Biography for 10th-Adult
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George Washington
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
George Washington
by M. D. Holmes
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George Washington
by Heather Lehr Wagner
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George Washington & the Founding of a Nation
by Albert Marrin
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Biography for 7th-10th grade
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George Washington & the Founding of a Nation
by Albert Marrin
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George Washington - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
George Washington and the Making of a Nation
by Marcus Cunliffe
from Troll Associates
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George Washington You Never Knew
by James Lincoln Collier
from Scholastic Inc.
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George Washington's World (pictorial hardcover)
by Genevieve Foster
from Charles Scribner's Sons
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Grand Papa and Ellen Aroon
by F. N. Monjo, illustrated by Richard Cuffari
1st edition from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
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Great Little Madison
by Jean Fritz
1st edition from G.P. Putnam's Sons
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His Excellency: George Washington
from Vintage Books
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Inventing America: The Life of Benjamin Franklin
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John Adams
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John Audubon
Young Patriots series
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John Hancock: A Signature Life
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John, Paul, George & Ben
by Lane Smith
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
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Journey to Monticello
Adventures in Colonial America
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Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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Life & Times of Washington
by Mario Rivoire
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Biography for 8th-12th grade
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Life & Times of Washington
by Mario Rivoire, translated by C.J. Richards
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Biography for 8th-12th grade
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Life and Letters of Benjamin Franklin
by Benjamin Franklin
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Life of George Washington
by Mary Williamson
from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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Life of Washington
by Josephine Pollard
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Biography for 3rd-8th grade
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Life of Washington
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Making It Go: The Life and Work of Robert Fulton
by Don Herweck
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
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Making of George Washington
by William H. Wilbur
2nd edition from Unknown Publisher
Biography for 10th-Adult
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Man Who Wouldn't Give Up: Henry Clay
by Katherine E. Wilkie
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Meet Andrew Jackson
by Ormonde de Kay
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Meet George Washington
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by Joan Heilbroner
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Meet George Washington
Step Up Books
by Joan Heilbroner
from Random House
Biography for 1st-4th grade
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Meet George Washington
by Joan Heilbroner
First Scholastic Printing 2001 from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Meet Thomas Jefferson
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by Marvin Barrett
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Meet Thomas Jefferson
by Marvin Barrett
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Meriwether Lewis
by Charlotta M. Bebenroth
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Noah Webster: Father of the American Dictionary
by Isabel Proudfit
13th printing from Julian Messner
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Patrick Henry
by JoAnn A. Grote
from Chelsea House Publishing
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Patrick Henry
The Founding Fathers
by Stuart A. Kallen
from ABDO Publishing Co.
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Patsy Jefferson's Diary
by Miriam Anne Bourne
First Edition from Coward McCann
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Picture Book of George Washington
by David A. Adler
1st edition from Holiday House
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Picture Book of John Hancock
by David A. Adler, Michael S. Adler
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Picture Book of Patrick Henry
by David A. Adler; illustrated by John & Alexandra Wallner
1st edition from Holiday House
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Presidency of George Washington
by Jack D. Warren, Jr.
from University of Virginia Press
Biography for 9th-Adult
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Real Book about George Washington
by Harold Coy, illustrated by Elinore Blaisdell
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Return of George Washington
by Edward J. Larson
from William Morrow & Company
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Revolutionary John Adams
by Cheryl Harness
Reprint from National Geographic
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$7.95
Signers
by Dennis B. Fradin
from Scholastic Press
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Story of Andrew Jackson
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #13
by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by David Hendrickson
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Story of Benjamin Franklin
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #5
by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Story of George Washington
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #12
by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Mad Anthony Wayne
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #24
by Hazel Wilson, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Martha Washington
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #32
by Jeannette C. Nolan, illustrated by Corinne B. Dillon
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Thomas Jefferson
by James Cross Giblin
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Thomas Jefferson
A Discovery Book
by Anne Colver, illustrated by Cary
from Garrard Publishing Company
for 1st-3rd grade
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Thomas Jefferson
by Cheryl Harness
Reprint from National Geographic
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Thomas Jefferson: Father of Democracy
Landmark #36
by Vincent Sheean
from Random House
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Unfading Beauty
by Tracy M. Leininger
from His Seasons
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Valiant Ambition
1st edition from Viking Studio Books
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 4th-6th grade
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$6.99 $3.50 (3 in stock)
What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 2nd-6th grade
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$3.50 (2 in stock)
Who Was Ben Franklin?
Who Was?...Series
by Dennis Brindell Fradin
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-7th grade
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Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
Who Was?...Series
by Dennis Brindell Fradin
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Wilderness Wife
by Etta B. Degering, illustrated by Ursula Koering
from David McKay Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$35.00 (1 in stock)
Wives of the Signers
by Harry & Mary Green
from WallBuilder Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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Yankee Trader
by Marjorie Chickering
from Funk & Wagnalls
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