Ameri

Course 3 of 8 · 1787 to 1849

A New Nation

A country had to be built from nothing, and fast.

5 modules · 20 lessons

  • Download on theApp StoreComing soon
  • Get it onGoogle PlayComing soon

The story in brief

The Articles of Confederation left the new nation weak and broke. In the summer of 1787 delegates met in Philadelphia and wrote the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights followed soon after.

Washington, Hamilton and Jefferson set the first habits of the government, and then the country started to move: canals, steamboats and cotton gin at home, Texas, Oregon and California beyond the frontier.

Three moments to know

  1. 1787

    The Constitutional Convention

    Delegates meet in Philadelphia to replace the Articles of Confederation with a stronger framework of government.

  2. 1791

    The Bill of Rights

    The first ten amendments are ratified, protecting freedoms such as speech, religion and a fair trial.

  3. 1803

    The Louisiana Purchase

    Jefferson buys a vast territory from France and roughly doubles the size of the country.

What you will learn

A new country had to be built from nothing. This course follows the young republic from the failed Articles of Confederation to the push toward the Pacific.

  • Watch the delegates at Philadelphia write the Constitution and the nation adopt the Bill of Rights.
  • Meet Washington, Hamilton and Jefferson and the early debates over the national debt, a national bank and the power of the central government.
  • See Jefferson double the size of the country with the Louisiana Purchase, and the nation defend itself in the War of 1812.
  • Follow canals, steamboats, the cotton gin and new factories as they built a fast-growing market economy.
  • Trace the rise of Andrew Jackson and the move west to Texas, Oregon and California.

Inside the course

5 modules and 20 short lessons, in the order the app teaches them.

Module 1 · 4 lessonsThe Constitution and the Bill of Rights
  1. 1Why the Articles of Confederation Failed
  2. 2The Convention at Philadelphia
  3. 3Ratification and the Bill of Rights
  4. 4Let's Review
Module 2 · 4 lessonsWashington, Hamilton and the First Government
  1. 1Washington Becomes President
  2. 2Hamilton's Plan for the Nation's Finances
  3. 3Hamilton, Jefferson and the First Parties
  4. 4Let's Review
Module 3 · 4 lessonsJefferson, Louisiana and the War of 1812
  1. 1Jefferson and the Election of 1800
  2. 2The Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark
  3. 3The War of 1812
  4. 4Let's Review
Module 4 · 4 lessonsCanals, Cotton Gin and the Market Revolution
  1. 1Steamboats, Canals and Roads
  2. 2Inventors and the Cotton Gin
  3. 3Factories and the Growing Economy
  4. 4Let's Review
Module 5 · 4 lessonsJackson, Manifest Destiny and the Move West
  1. 1Andrew Jackson and the Common Man
  2. 2Texas and the Mexican War
  3. 3Oregon, California and the Gold Rush
  4. 4Let's Review

Finish all 5 modules to earn the A New Nation certificate of completion, part of Premium.

Start A New Nation in the app.

Short lessons, questions along the way and a certificate when you finish.

All eight courses