1781–1788 - Articles of Confederation

Andrew Henry was a businessman, soldier, and fur trader who played an important role in the establishment of the Western Fur Trade. Henry is famous for building the first American trading post west of the Continental Divide and founding the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.

Francis Hopkinson was a Founding Father from New Jersey. Hopkinson was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and is widely credited for designing the American Flag.

The Iroquois Confederacy — or the Haudenosaunee Confederacy — was a league made up of six distinct Native American Indian nations that spoke the same language. The Confederacy is most well-known for its role in the Fur Trade and the major wars that shaped the American Colonies.

William Irvine was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He led troops in Canada, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and then commanded the Western Department from Fort Pitt. He is remembered for his command at Fort Pitt, which included the Gnadenhutten Massacre and Crawford’s Defeat.

John Jay was a Founding Father and the First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Jay represented New York in the Continental Congress and was an author of the Federalist Papers. He wrote the Constitution of New York and served as Governor from 1795-1801.

Thomas Jefferson was a Founding Father and the third President of the United States. He is the author of the Declaration of Independence and founded the University of Virginia. He also served as Governor of Virginia, Virginia Congressman, Minister to France, Secretary of State under George Washington and Vice President under John Adams.

Thomas Jefferson was a Founding Father who helped shape the ideas that led to the independence of the United States. This collection includes important quotes from Jefferson about Liberty, the American Revolution, the Constitution, and other important topics.

Simon Kenton was a Frontiersman, scout, and soldier who is most famous for helping defend Kentucky settlers from the late Colonial Era to the Early Republic. Kenton is one of the most important figures of the early era of Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny and was associated with Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark.

Henry Knox was a General in the Continental Army and a close friend of George Washington. Knox led the expedition to retrieve cannon and artillery from Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and served as Chief Artillery Officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Marquis de Lafayette was a French aristocrat and soldier who is most well-known in America for his support of the Patriot Cause and service in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Key Facts about the Land Ordinance of 1785, enacted by the Confederation Congress on May 20, 1785

The Land Ordinance of 1785 was enacted by the Confederation Congress on May 20, 1785. It established policies and procedures for the orderly survey and settlement of lands purchased from Indian inhabitants in areas of North America ceded by Great Britain to the United States after the Revolutionary War.

James Madison was the fourth President of the United States and a principal author of The Federalist Papers. Madison is considered by some to be the "Father of the Constitution."

“Manifest Destiny” is the idea that Americans had a “God-given right” — a divine right — to expand across the continent, from the east coast to the west coast, from “sea to shining sea,” planting democracy, capitalism, and Christianity along the way.

John Marshall (1755–1845) was a Founding Father, an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, a congressional representative from Virginia, Secretary of State, and 4th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

William Maxwell was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He led troops in Canada, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He is most famous as the first commanding officer of the Continental Army’s light infantry corps, known as “Maxwell’s Brigade.”

Alexander McDougall was a prominent leader of the New York Sons of Liberty and served as a General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. McDougall is most famous for his role as a leader of the Patriot Cause in New York City.

The Middle Passage was a route in the Triangular Trade System that started in Northwest Africa, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and ended in the Americas. The Middle Passage is most well-known for its use in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the terrible suffering it imposed on imprisoned Africans who were sold into slavery.

General Thomas Mifflin was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in several key battles during the war, and also served as a member of the Continental Congress as a delegate from Pennsylvania. Although he was involved in a plot to remove George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, he participated in the Constitutional Convention and signed the document, and is a Founding Father.

The newly established United States faced complex foreign affairs, including challenges with Great Britain, France, Spain, and the Barbary States. Key treaties and military actions ultimately shaped the nation's diplomatic relations and established its stance on international involvement from the Confederation Era to the Jeffersonian Era.