This reading will focus on the events following the end of the Revolution and the Treaty of Paris 1783, at a time when the young nation is struggling to maintain its ideas on limiting government, but experiences the growing pains associated with its early governing documents as well as a need for a new one: The US Constitution.

This reading will focus on an early national period, with an emphasis on themes such as access to the Democratic System and the role played in that development by people like Andrew Jackson. It also draws into question what the effects of Andrew Jackson's policies were on the American economy and society.