The American System
By David Gu
The Proposal
The American System put a lot of power in the federal government, in order to achieve these three main goals:
- Tariff to bolster American industries
- Support for the National Bank to promote commerce
- Internal Improvements paid by the federal government for better transportation and connection between the states
The Whigs (National Republicans)
The Whigs supported the American system, as Henry Clay was the one who engineered it. They believed that this would help the country expand west and have a stronger economy, comparable to those of Europe for economic dependency.
The Democrats
The Democrats deemed the American System unconstitutional, giving a strict interpretation of the Constitution. They also rejected he notion of the federal government paying for roads as they considered this the responsibility of each individual state. However, Andrew Jackson still supported protective tariffs to help the US economy.
Why?
The American System proposed a strong base for the US to grow on. As an ever-expanding country, they needed a strong economy to stay afloat in the war for money. The internal improvements of roads would help the founders in the west connect to those in the East, able to conduct commerce. This provided a strong system which the US of 1800 grew off of.