The American System, Transportation, and Communication
Option 1: The American System, Transportation, and Communication
Read the following primary source:
• Link (website): Of Debates in Congress (Clay’s Debate of the American System in 1832) (Links to an external site.) (Click on “Next Image” to see all pages of the debate: pp.258-262.)
Then, address the following:
• Describe the idea of Henry Clay’s “American System.”
• Based on Clay’s economic vision of America, analyze how the American System would build the American market and economy?
• Analyze the role of mechanization and communication in the American System.
Option 2: The Indian Removal Act of 1830
Read the following primary source:
• Link (website): Transcript of President Andrew Jackson’s Message to Congress ‘On Indian Removal’ (1830) (Links to an external site.)
Then, address the following:
• Evaluate the rationale that President Jackson used in the removal of the Native Americans from east of the Mississippi River. Did the removal have the intended impact?
• Identify the responsibilities given to the President under the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
• Compare Jackson’s actions toward Native Americans in the context of his First Inaugural
Sample Solution
From the nation`s earliest days, Congress has struggled with the fundamental issue of the national government`s proper role in fostering economic development. Henry Clay`s “American System,” devised in the burst of nationalism that followed the War of 1812, remains one of the most historically significant examples of a government-sponsored program to harmonize and balance the nation`s agriculture, commerce, and industry. The “System” consisted of three mutually reinforcing parts: a tariff to protect and promote American industry; a national bank to foster commerce; and federal subsidies for roads, canals, and other “internal improvements” to develop profitable markets for agriculture. Funds for these subsidies would be obtained from tariffs and sales of public lands.
