Title: War and Commercial Independence, 1790-1815 (Overview) | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: War and Commercial Independence, 1790-1815 (Overview)
War and Commercial Independence, 1790-1815 (Overview)
WAR AND COMMERCIAL INDEPENDENCE, 1790-1815 ( OVERVIEW )
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Content: Alexander Hamilton wanted to use federal government power to expand the economy. His "Report on Manufactures," (December 1791) recommended that the economy be increasingly based on trade and manufacturing, and protected by high tariffs. Jefferson, Madison, and their supporters thought that a manufacturing economy was bound to expose U.S. society to moral and political decay and corruption — significant concerns for the new nation. Jefferson believed that farmers were "the chosen people of God" and that decentralized agriculture would provide the most "virtuous" basis for U.S. government. Jefferson envisioned a society led by independent land-owning farmers, and Hamilton placed his hopes in trade and finance. Though Congress accepted many of Hamilton's economic proposals in 1792, and though his programs restored the country to remarkable financial health, debate surrounding the role of central government, power, and the economy in the United States would continue for decades. Beyond the political debates, the economic life of average U.S. citizens began to change during the 1790s. Pioneers were pushing westward and looking for new land, and by 1800 500,000 settlers were living west of the Appalachian Mountains. Congress supported integrating western lands into the United States — the Northwest Ordinance (re-authorized in 1789) outlined the process for the Northwest Territory to be broken down into states. In addition southern territories joined the Union: