There are many significant political, territorial, and political changes that the United States experienced from the 1790s to the 1840s. Notably, at this point, many states had ratified the constitution and were in effect. The United States was officially a federalist under Washington’s presidency. As expected, there were still some debates since the constitution failed to address some pertinent issues, like the representation of women in the government. Nonetheless, political stability required compromise and understanding on issues such as the stance on the slave trade. The other remarkable change was territorial expansion in the country following the reintegration of other towns. In addition, America expanded its economy by upgrading its agricultural and industrial production. Thus, although there were a few setbacks, the years 1790s through 1840s were mainly characterized by growth and expansion.
Firstly, changes in economic development were eminent as the United States transitioned from being solely agricultural to increasing its industrial growth and inventions. The country had a surplus of farm products which made entrepreneurs invest in manufacturing. In 1800 the areas in New England including Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, and New Hampshire began the Industrial Revolution. Notably, these towns had a competitive advantage as they were situated close to resources such as coal and iron from Pennsylvania. Moreover, the people were making major technological inventions after the congress passed a law for protecting the patent rights of people who made major inventions. The law led to recognition and legal protection of the people which encouraged new discoveries the cotton gin which was the idea of Eli Whitney in 1793. The inventor would later develop interchangeable parts, which enhanced the factory system. The increase in the investment in manufacturing encouraged agricultural development to increase. Moreover, other sole proprietors started small businesses around the factories to provide basic needs for the people working in the factory. More people came to town areas where industries were springing up, which made the government improve its road and infrastructural network.
Despite the immense economic growth with enhanced agricultural production, the onset of manufacturing and infrastructure foreign affairs hindered international expansions. In 1807, congress passed the Embargo Act as a response to the unfair treatment it was receiving from Britain and France. The result was that the United States its ports and allowed only a few imports from Britain. The US had placed their ship neutral for marketing, but the British and French armies tried making interferences. The Napoleonic War significantly setback international trade, but the internal expansions continued.
Secondly, in regards to politics, major leadership transitions, and compromises were made to create an environment for continuous advancement and stability. For instance, in 1796, Washington stepped down as president, and his vice president, John Adams replaced him. Adams managed to lead the divided country while making diplomatic friendships with foreign nations like France. However, the people later rejected him in favor of Jefferson dung the 1800 general election. The other step that the government took for stability was forming the Alien and Sedition Act in 1798. The former gave the government authority to deport aliens that could threaten national security, while the latter criminalized speaking or writing anything against the government.
One of the main political setbacks was the huge debt, of more than $25 million, that several states had following the Revolutionary War. Hamilton who was by then the treasury secretary decided that the state would take full responsibility for clearing the debt. By 1794, Hamilton had convinced the government to change 98% of the domestic debts to bonds which would be cleared through reliable tax revenues. In addition, protests such as Shay and Whiskey rebellion threatened to cause some instability that the federal government was committed to achieving for the country to develop
Thirdly, territorial expansions, mainly through the purchase of new lands, was a significant transition resulting in the changes in the United States map. For instance, there was admission of four states, including Vermont, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky, in the late 1790s to early 1800s. Moreover, in 1803 the government bought Lousiana from France. Consequently, the country had made a major territorial expansion that changed its map. Moreover, there were other sessions by Great Britain and Spanish in 1818 and 1819, respectively. Noteworthy such map expansion catalyzed the emergence of new routes and road development.
In conclusion, the late 1790s and early 1800s set the United States on a growth mode politically, economically, and territorially. The major political change was the settlement of federalism and ratification of the Constitution. The presidents that worked through the time had a tough time, but all tried to unite the country for progress. Economically, America started exploring industrialization and made inventions while improving its infrastructure. The territorial changes were marked by the expansion of the country through buying new lands. Thus, despite the challenges, there was a positive growth of the country towards becoming a superpower.
Bibliography
Eckert, Fabian, Andrés Gvirtz, Jack Liang, and Michael Peters. “A Method to Construct Geographical Crosswalks with an Application to US Counties since 1790.” National Bureau of Economic Research 1, no. 1 (2020), 1-28.
Locke, Joseph L., and Ben Wright. The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U. S. History Textbook, Vol. 1: To 1877. Redwood: Stanford University Press, 2019.
North, Douglass C. The Economic Growth of the United States, 1790-1860. Englewood Cliffs: FB&C Limited, 2018.