The American Revolution had raised questions about social and political equality, and the relationship between state and federal governments. The United States struggled over how to respond to revolutions in St. Domingue and France. The War of 1812, though inconclusive, prompted Great Britain to withdraw at last from the Old Northwest.

Tecumseh became one of the most determined Shawnee opponents of white settlement and played a critical role in an creating unprecedented political alliance among Indian nations.

Richard Allen became a Methodist at age 17 and gained his freedom soon after. He left a Philadelphia Methodist church over racial discrimination and in 1794 started a church that would become the foundation of a new denomination.

Judith Sargent Murray grew up in a prosperous Massachusetts family and was unusually well educated. She wrote many books and articles, many of them arguing for women’s education.

David Bjelajac is a professor at George Washington University who studies art and architecture to better understand the past. The young United States, for example, favored classical architecture because it reassured people that the nation was rooted in the ancient past. Homes and other buildings can tell us much about the dichotomy between public and private lives during this time period. Read edited Hands on History interview with David Bjelajac.