The New Nation, 1784–1800

These materials address the creation of the US Constitution from the failure of the Articles of Confederation through the controversial election of 1800 in both official records and personal correspondence. Documents also illustrate the turbulence of this era as the United States struggled to create a national identity.

Selected Searches in the Collection’s catalog

• Articles of Confederation
• Letters discuss epidemics, such as yellow fever, in the founding era and their impact on the country
• Relations with American Indians
• Shays’ Rebellion (1786–1787)
• Documents relating to the US Constitutional Convention
• Ratification of the US Constitution
• George Washington’s inauguration
• Whiskey Rebellion (1794)