Former President George Washington dies at his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia.
The United States buys the vast Louisiana territory from France, roughly doubling the size of the country.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark lead an expedition across the American West to the Pacific coast and back.
George Washington is sworn in as the first President of the United States in New York City.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States who led the country through the Civil War, is born in Kentucky.
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia adopts and signs the US Constitution, creating a federal government with separation of powers.
The United States declares war on Britain; fighting in North America and at sea ends with the Treaty of Ghent and no change in borders.