Search
Search Results
Definition
William Henry Harrison - The One-Month US President
William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) was an American statesman and military general who served as the ninth president of the United States. A member of the distinguished Harrison family of Virginia, he built his reputation as a war hero after...
Definition
US Presidential Election of 1789
The US presidential election of 1789 was the first presidential election to take place after the ratification of the United States Constitution. Held on 4 February 1789, it resulted in the unanimous election of George Washington (l. 1732-1799...
Definition
US Presidential Election of 1796
The US presidential election of 1796 was the first contested presidential election in the history of the United States. John Adams, the candidate of the Federalist Party, won the presidency, defeating his rival, Thomas Jefferson, candidate...
Definition
John Tyler - The Pariah President of the US
John Tyler (1790-1862) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the tenth president of the United States. His presidency was a tumultuous one – initially elected as vice president, he came to office after the death of his predecessor...
Definition
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were four laws passed by President John Adams and the Federalist-controlled Congress in 1798 that restricted immigration and free speech in the United States. Framed by the Federalist Party as a necessary measure...
Definition
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) was an American statesman and diplomat who served as the sixth president of the United States (1825-1829). The son of a former president, Adams had a long and distinguished political career both before and after...
Definition
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr (1756-1836) was an American politician and lawyer, who served as the third vice president of the United States (1801-1805). His reputation as a US Founding Father was marred by his killing of political rival Alexander Hamilton...
Definition
John C. Calhoun - Champion of the Antebellum South
John C. Calhoun (1782-1850) was an American lawyer and statesman, one of the key political figures of the Antebellum Era. Initially a nationalist, Calhoun spent his early career trying to strengthen and modernize the federal government, but...
Definition
Petticoat Affair
The Petticoat affair, also called the Eaton affair, was a political scandal that rocked Washington, D.C., from 1829 to 1831, during the early years of Andrew Jackson's presidency. Revolving around the rumored sexual promiscuity of Peggy Eaton...
Image
President Polk and his Cabinet, 1846
The cabinet of US President James K. Polk in the White House dining room, by John Plumbe, Jr., c. 1846. Bottom row, left to right: Attorney General John Y. Mason, Secretary of War William L. Marcy, President Polk, Secretary of the Treasury...