After the British and the colonists won the French and Indian War, England faced enormous debt. The resulting taxation of the colonists led to resentment and tension with England. The Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party were two notable examples of this increasingly troubled relationship.
Colonial leaders called for resistance to imperial rule and demanded that their rights be respected. New experiments with democracy and republican forms of government came about with the Continental Congress, the ideas of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine, and, ultimately, the Declaration of Independence.
After the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation united the newly formed states. However, the federal government remained very weak, which was made evident by Shay’s Rebellion. Debates on how to govern the new country culminated in the calling of the Constitutional Convention.
Throughout the presidencies of George Washington and John Adams, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists debated on how the young nation should manage its economy, foreign affairs, and internal relations with the new states. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, favored a stronger central government. The Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, favored giving more power to the individual states.
The development of a distinct American foreign policy emerged. George Washington warned against becoming entangled in foreign affairs, such as the French Revolution, and preferred diplomatic initiatives, like Jay’s Treaty and Pinckney’s Treaty, to deal with continued European presence in America.
Migration trends and competition over boundaries, resources, and trade fueled ethnic tensions and sparked nativist sentiments. The United States’ relationship with American Indian groups continued to evolve, often centering on conflict regarding native lands.