The U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1788, and the first two presidents who served under the new government framework concentrated on developing the government and the nation's economic stability. However, foreign affairs demanded much of their time. George Washington (1732–1799) served as the first U.S. president, remaining in office from April 1789 to March 1797. The second U.S. president was John Adams (1735–1826), who served from March 1797 to March 1801.

Relations with Britain and Spain

U.S. relations with Britain and Spain had been strained since the end of the American Revolution (1775–83). The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, ended the war and granted the United States independence from Britain. However, Britain violated the treaty by keeping its troops in fur-trading forts in the Old Northwest. The Old Northwest included land north of the Ohio River to the Great Lakes and Canada, east to Pennsylvania's western border, and west to...