Alexander Hamilton's Transportation Revolution

Transportation Revolution The transportation revolution is believed to have begun in 1807 when the government seemed it was going to become active in growing infrastructure. The treasury secretary, at the time, Albert Gallatin was asked to develop “a plan for the application of such means as are within the power of Congress, to the purpose of opening roads and making canals” (W&R). This plan was not to happen and throughout this revolution the government was only responsible for a few projects. Without much government aid, entrepreneurs took matters into their own hands, creating competition. This first started with the building of toll roads. While it is difficult to measure the economic impact that these roads played, they were a critical

Alexander Hamilton was one of the major promoters and supporters of this revolution. He wanted a way to repay debts and attract investors and he wanted to do this by establishing a Bank of The United States. It had a limited charter and worked with some state and commercial banks. This new system encouraged manufacturing, allowed the government to restore its credit, and gave it the ability to obtain large loans during war. It is only able to do this by monitoring the amount of money in circulation. Hamilton wanted to create public credit with a treasury system, a national bank, a mint, and increase manufacturing which would help unify the country. On the other hand, there was Jefferson, who opposed a strong central government. He argued that the “wealthy would gain at the expense of ordinary Americans and that Hamilton’s political economy would corrupt the morality of citizens and undermine the social conditions essential to republican government”(Powerpoint). The country would opt for an approach closer to Hamilton’s views. One of the first acts was the National Banking Act. This resulted in the creation of national banks would be able to purchase bonds to be deposited into the treasury. One third of the money received was invested into US securities. Originally, there was not much regulation. The National Banking Act created basic changes in the banking system and how credit was distributed. A single capital market began to emerge and there was the creation of a uniform and stable currency. This act enables creditors to gain power and it gives large-scale entrepreneurs an advantage in competing for investment capital. One major weakness of the system is that it restricts beginning entrepreneurs entry into markets because the banks need reserves, which prevents long-term