United States significant event Louisiana Purchase
Early national period (1789–1861)
The U.S. Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force today. Going into force in 1789, it reorganized the government into a federation administered by three branches (executive, judicial and legislative), on the principle of creating salutary checks and balances. George Washington, who had led the Continental Army to victory and then willingly relinquished power, was the first President elected under the new constitution. The Bill of Rights, forbidding federal restriction of personal freedoms and guaranteeing a range of legal protections, was adopted in 1791. The 1803 Louisiana Purchase almost doubled the nation's area.  Tensions with Britain remained, leading to the War of 1812, which was fought to a draw. Spain ceded Florida and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819.During the British Colonial era, slavery was legal in all of the American colonies, composed a longstanding institution in world history, and "challenges to its moral legitimacy were rare". However, during the Revolution, many in the colonies began to question the practice.
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