The New American System In The 1800's

Come the turn of the century, America was enjoying its newfound freedom. In order to help support growing America in the 19th century, though, the Whig party came up with a plan to keep the country strong and help its western expansion. A major voice behind the plan is Henry Clay, a well-known Whig party member, and secretary of state in the early 1800’s. Some of the key components of the plan included A national bank, as well as internal improvements (Like roads and bridges). There were Supreme Court decisions that were also made in favor of this American System, such as McCulloch v. Maryland. All of these and more helped to improve early America and it’s growth during times of political turmoil and unrest. One of the major components of the new American System was the addition of a national bank in order to help improve the economy at the time. It established one central currency for all the states, as before each one could vary, making cross state commerce a challenge at times. The bank was actually part of a multipart plan to improve overall economy within the US, and it included a national mint as well as improved taxing systems. All of

These were infrastructure developments that aided things like transport and trade. Following the war of 1812, money from tariffs would go towards improving roadways, seaports, canals, and even a national highway, known as the National Road. Even with early developments it was easy to see just how useful these improvements really were, saving time during cross state transit, and keeping trading swift. Another very important internal improvement was The Erie Canal, completed in 1825. This canal crossed the entirety of the state of New York and allowed for boat travel cross state between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. All of these improvements allowed for easier expansion of US territory and a more interconnectedness between the