America During 1789-1815: Establishment of a Nation

            The period of 1789-1815 in the American history was an era of establishing America as a nation in the world. It was a period not long after the American Revolution, in a war which the Americans won their independence and then together formed a new nation. After the Constitution was ratified in 1788, America faced problems with its international relations during the war between England and France, and domestic problems like the Whiskey Rebellion and the Alien and Sedition Acts which violated the freedoms stated in the Bill of Rights. But America also went through with these problems and proved that America was an able nation. This era was also the start of a transformation that industrialized America and changed the American economy and society greatly.
             Not long after the Constitution was ratified, in 1794 came the Whiskey Rebellion, which happened due to a Whiskey tax that discontented many western farmers who were still living in Crevecoeur's vision of America. The army was called to put down the rebellion, though in the end no organized resistance was encountered. This demonstrated the power and authority of the federal government, which is necessary for this country. Later, in 1798, the government passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, the first of which gave the president the power to arrest and deport aliens who had been suspected of "treasonable" things. The more controversial one was the Sedition Act, which punished anyone who published or spoke "false of malicious" things about the government. This law became an almost symbol of aristocracy or tyranny while the Federalists convicted 25 Republicans under this law. Eventually, the Supreme Court endorsed the Republican view that under the First Amendment the absolute freedom of speech and press were granted and thus the expression of public opinion toward the government wasn't a crime. The Alien and Sedition Acts expired quietly, and with this incident showed that the federal government was not only powerful, but the check and balance could effectively keep the government from corruption.