Defining and Defending a New Nation: Introduction
As the eighteenth century drew to a close, the survival of the United States as an independent republic was by no means assured. Two former colonial powers, France and England, refused to recognize the sovereignty of the young and weak nation. Americans continued to wrestle with the challenge of putting the ideals of the revolution into practice. The principles of the founders bore the footprints of foreign powers that showed little respect for the new nation, and bitter political divisions threatened to tear the Constitution asunder.
onetheless, the administrations of Washington and Adams steered the nation through the tumultuous waters of the 1790s. The dawn of a new century brought new political divisions and politicians into power. Though members of the same revolutionary generation, the men shaping America in the decade after 1800 faced a different situation than those who had led the nation before the turn of the century. Under their leadership, the United States would again face serious challenges, both domestic and foreign. There were setbacks, new opportunities, and a second war against Great Britain.
