After the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the early U.S. presidents worked hard to put the country on a firm foundation. The nation had to deal with both foreign and domestic problems.
In 1803 the Senate approved the Louisiana Purchase, more than doubling the nation's territory. Once the United Sates proved it could defend itself in the War of 1812, it began to gain respect as a nation.
In the years following the War of 1812, the nation underwent many changes. These changes, however, could not mask the underlying problems caused by the nation's division over slavery. Despite numerous attempts at compromise, tensions continued to rise between the North and the South. Following Abraham's Lincoln's victory in the 1860 presidential election, several southern states seceded from the Union, thus leading to the Civil War.
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