American History timeline: 1810-1819

1810: Beethoven's Fur Elise
    Macon's Bill #2

1811: Battle of Tippecanoe

1812: New Madrid Earthquake
    U.S. declares war on Britain
    U.S. Invades Canada
    Detroit surrenders
    Constitution vs. Guerriere
    Battle of Borodino
    Napoleon invades Russia
    Battle of Queenston Heights
    James Madison re-elected President

1813: Battle of Lake Erie
    Battle of the Thames
    Battle of Leipzig
    Battle of Crysler's Farm

1814: Battle of Horseshoe Bend
    Bourbon Restoration/Napoleon's abdication
    Battle of Lundy's Lane
    British burn Washington D.C
    Battle of Lake Champlain
    Fort McHenry & The Star Spangled Banner
    Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812

1815: Battle of New Orleans
    Hartford Convention
    Napoleon's 100 Days
    Waterloo
    Mt. Tambura explodes leading to the Year without summer
    Congress of Vienna
    Napoleon exiled to St. Helena

1816: James Monroe elected President

1817: Rush-Bagot Treaty
    First Seminole War begins

1818: Frankenstein published
    Jackson invades Florida
    "Silent Night" written

1819: Panic of 1819
    Dartmouth College vs Woodward
    Adams-Onis Treaty
    McCullough vs Maryland
    Peterloo Massacre
    Missouri Crisis begins

19th Century timeline: 1801-1810

1801: Thomas Jefferson wins the Presidential Election in the House of Representatives
    Battle of Abukir
    The Concordant
    First Barbary War (1801-05)

1802: Treaty of Amiens

1803: Marbury v Madison
    Louisiana Purchase
    Robert Emmet executed

1804: Haiti wins independence
    Decatur's Raid
    Napoleonic Code
    Lewis and Clark Expedition begins (1804-06)
    Burr-Hamilton duel
    Jefferson re-elected

1805: Trafalgar
    Austerlitz
    Peace of Pressburg

1806: Battle of Jena-Auerstedt
    Continental System

1807: Battle of Montevideo
    Battle of Eylau
    Burr Treason trial
    Slave trade banned by British Empire
    Chesapeake-Leopold Affair
    Treaty of Tilsit
    First Steamboat
    Embargo Act

1808: Slave Trade banned in U.S.
    James Madison elected President

1809: Peninsular War (1807-14)
    Non-Intercourse Act

The Revolutionary Presidents: 1789-1825

Nowadays, every President obsesses over their legacy. Some of this is media driven and the desire for the press and the public to sum up a presidency as simply and as quickly as possible. Many presidents can claim multiple legacies which further confuses the public and the press. Here is the crib notes version of each president's main legacy beginning with the Revolutionary generation. These five presidents were shaped by their experiences in the Revolution.

1. George Washington (1789-1797): The first George W's legacy is as Father of the Country. His policies kept the country from fracturing. He upheld Federal Supremacy over localism by putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. He kept the country out of the European conflict between France and Britain. His foreign policy became the basis of American foreign policy for a century. As a result of his prudence, instead of falling into civil war or being torn apart by foreign invaders, the United States survived into the next century. Washington's other major legacy is the presidency itself. He was the model the framers had in mind. He set many precedents followed to this day and established the two term limit which only Franklin Roosevelt broke (although U.S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson wanted to break).

2. John Adams (1797-1801): Many historians would claim the Alien and Sedition Acts as Adams' legacy. This is more a reaction to the imagined abuses of the Bush Administration. However, Adams' real legacy is the Peace with France that cost him the presidency. The Anglophobic Democratic Party thought he was a monarchical tyrant while his own party thought he was soft on France and clamoured for war. With the exception of the Civil War era, this was the most divisive political period in American history. Adams' fought his own party as well as the Democrats. He resisted war, achieved peace with the French, and lost his re-election bid.

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809): Jefferson was personally miserable as president. He was very unhappy in the White House. His second term was a disaster. However, his first term was spectacular. The Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark Expedition not only symbolized the young republic, but serve as Jefferson's Presidential Legacy. Interestingly, Jefferson's biggest legacy is the Declaration of Independence which he wrote a quarter of a century before becoming president.

4. James Madison (1809-1817): For better or worse, the War of 1812 is synonymous with James Madison's presidency. Today, some people consider the war a failure, America's first defeat in a war, and needlessly divisive. The War of 1812 might be the most divisive war in U.S. history as New England threatened to leave the Union and celebrated British victories. Some consider the war a draw and a national distraction. However, most Americans at the time considered it a victory for liberty and the war that secured American independence. In many respects, this last interpretation is the most accurate. Like Jefferson, Madison's greatest legacy occurred before his presidency. James Madison is considered the Father of the Constitution.

5. James Monroe (1817-1825): The Federalist Party died and the Democrats had the political world to themselves. Being Democrats, they fought amongst themselves. However, Monroe's legacy unites most Americans to this day and is often invoked by his successors. The Monroe Doctrine bars European colonization and interference in the Americas. It legitimized American involvement during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Invasion of Grenada, and many other activities. Some have been positive while others have been questionable. However, the anti-colonial principles within the doctrine influence American thinking to this day.

The Goods (part 1)

We now move to the good presidents. They were better than average (or adequate), but not great. Some died before they could rise higher or fall lower while others served only one term for one reason or another. This is the first grouping of good presidents. They are listed chronologically.
1. John Adams (1797-1801): Adams' historical reputation suffers for three reasons. One, he followed Washington and preceded Jefferson. Two, he was not re-elected in 1800 (thanks to the 3/5 clause). Three, those pesky Alien and Sedition Acts are more despised today because of Bush haters than they were in 1800. Another lesser factor is today's psychobabble has crept into the culture to such an extent, that Adams loses points for his personality. Well, Adams continued many of Washington's policies, created the navy, and kept the U.S. out of a war with France that his own party demanded. Not too bad.
2. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809): Most historians rank Jefferson with the greats. He did have an amazingly successful first term with the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was easily re-elected. Jefferson's second term was a disaster. He caused a depression by ending all trade, gutted the military so it was not prepared for the War of 1812, and was less popular in New England than George W Bush is in San Francisco today. As a result, I split the difference and place him here.
3. James Madison (1809-1817): Madison's tenure was dominated by the War of 1812. He did what he could to avoid it, but failed. When the war was over, the US was lucky to survive (The White House got torched) and actually came out the victor thanks to Andy Jackson. Madison's big mistake was eliminating the Bank of the United States which made financing the war difficult.
4. James Monroe (1817-1825): The Times were a Changin'. The economy was beginning to shift, America no longer feared Europe, and the Federalist Party died leaving only the Democrats. Monroe had three major issues to confront. In 1818-1819, he sent Andy Jackson to take out Indian guerrillas wrecking havoc in Georgia. The end result was the acquisition of Florida. In 1819, the North and South had their first spat over slavery. The Missouri Compromise set the precedent of compromise between sections on the slavery issue. Some have attacked this as the North approving slavery. However, it bought time. By the time the two sections came to blows over slavery, the North could overwhelm the South. Lastly, when those pesky Russians and crazy Frenchmen eyed the Americas for conquest, Monroe (and Britain) issued his doctrine banning European colonization of the New World. His doctrine has guided American foreign policy ever since.
5. James K. Polk (1845-1849): Polk avoided war with Britain and settled a longstanding border dispute over the Canadian Border. He solved the bank problem with his independent treasury. He led America to victory in the Mexican War and conquered the Southwest. (There is some controversy over who started it and some blame Polk for manufacturing a war for slave interests).

The Uncontested Elections: 1804-1820

This next series of presidential elections can be summed up easily and quickly...the Federalist Party died off and left the country with one political party. As a result, the Jeffersonians dominated the presidency.
1804: Thomas Jefferson v. Charles Pinckney. Jefferson was a popular and successful incumbent. He won in a landslide. 162-14 in the electoral college.
1808: James Madison v. Charles Pinckney. Madison was Jefferson's hand picked successor. Pinckney was a one-time loser. Jefferson's second term was a disaster, but the Federalists were dying off and not much of a threat by '08. Madison wins 122-47.
1812: James Madison v. Dewitt Clinton. Madison was fighting the War of 1812 and was the incumbent. The war was not very popular and almost led to a civil war. The Federalist Party continued to sink and became more extreme. This election was similar to 2004. Madison wins 128-89 in a close election. A strong opposition party might have had a shot at knocking off the incumbent.
1816: James Monroe vs. Rufus King. This is the end for the Federalists. Monroe was Madison's hand picked successor and acquitted himself well as Secretary of State and Secretary of War during the War of 1812. The Federalists held a convention at the end of the war and discussed seceding from the union. Then, the war ended and they looked like traitors. Monroe wins 183-34 and the Federalist Party dies.
1820: James Monroe vs. No One. Monroe runs unopposed. There is no opposition party. Monroe wins.
Hard to believe, but 1824 would bring one of the most controversial and cantankerous elections ever.