American System

Examples of American System in the following topics:

• The Role of the Government

  • The American System was an economic plan that played a prominent role in American policy during the first half of the nineteenth century.
  • The American System, originally called "The American Way," was an economic plan that played a prominent role in American policy during the first half of the nineteenth century.
  • Another key goal of the American System was the development of a strong central bank.
  • Henry Clay says "Walk in and see the new improved grand original American System!
  • He was the primary advocate of the American System during the Market Revolution.

• Economic Nationalism

  • The "American System," a term synonymous with "National System" and "Protective System," was a system of economics that represented the legacy of Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury under George Washington's presidency.
  • As later defined by Senator Henry Clay, who became known as the "Father of the American System," the American System unified the nation north to south, east to west, and city to farmer.
  • The American System was comprised of the three following cardinal policy points:
  • The South, however, opposed the American System.
  • Henry Clay is considered the Father of the American System of economics.

• Manufacturing

  • The "American System" was the first to successfully implement the use of interchangeable parts in industry.
  • The name "American System" came simply from the fact that for a time in the 1800s the system was strongly associated with the American companies who had first successfully implemented it.
  • Within a few decades, manufacturing technology had evolved further, and the ideas behind the "American System" were in use worldwide.
  • Such innovation, as demonstrated in the American System, had been extolled by Hamilton and the Federalist Party in the 1790s as the supreme virtues of American republicanism.
  • Describe the social and economic significance of the American System's use of standardized, interchangeable parts

• From Political Values to Ideology

  • Core American political values are vested in what is often called the American creed.
  • They believe that the political and economic systems that have evolved in this country are perfectly suited in principle to permit both individualism and egalitarianism.
  • The American creed also encompasses the public's high degree of respect for the American system of government and the structure of its political institutions .
  • Capitalist economic values are also a part of American values.
  • Capitalist economic systems emphasize the need for a free-enterprise system that allows for open business competition, private ownership of property, and limited government intervention in business affairs.

• Civil Rights of Native Americans

  • According to US Census data, 1.37% of Americans identify themselves as Native American.
  • Indigenous societies ranged widely in terms of geographic location, culture, and social structure, with distinct languages and governing systems.
  • In an attempt to confine Native Americans to limited territory, thus clearing the way for westward expansion, the U.S. government created a system of Indian reservations.
  • Moreover, Native Americans rejected the limited autonomy they were granted through the reservation system, as the reservations were administered by U.S. bureaucrats rather than tribal leaders.
  • Partly because of the reservation system, civil rights protections have often involved complex legal issues.

• The Lowell System

  • The Waltham-Lowell System was a labor and production model employed during the early years of the American textile industry.
  • The Waltham-Lowell System was a labor and production model employed in the United States, particularly in New England, during the early years of the American textile industry in the 19th Century.
  • The precursor to the Waltham-Lowell system was the "Rhode Island System," established by British immigrant Samuel Slater in the 1790s.
  • This immensely profitable model became known as the Waltham-Lowell System, or Lowell System.
  • Describe the transformation of the "Rhode Island System" into the Waltham -Lowell System and its effects on textile production

• American Republicanism

  • American republicanism is a political ideology that sees government as the pursuit of common good by a virtuous, participating citizenry.
  • American republicanism is a multifaceted ideological conception that provoked stark disagreement among those who enshrined it as the foundation of the United States political system.
  • The "Founding Fathers" were strong advocates of republican values who were involved in the shaping of the American political system.
  • Yeoman agriculture, as depicted by the Democratic-Republicans, was a system of small-share farming in which an independent (white male) farmer owned his own land and the fruits of his labor.
  • According to this vision, the yeoman was to be the backbone of American society, rather than the merchant or the artisan.

• Government in the English Colonies

  • The way the British government was run in the colonies inspired what the Americans would write in their Constitution.
  • Thus, Americans viewed their legislative branch as a guardian of liberty, while the executive branches was deemed tyrannical.There were several examples of royal actions that upset the Americans.
  • The variety of taxes imposed led to American disdain for the British system of government.
  • American distaste for British government would lead to revolution.
  • Explain the reasons for the tension between the British empire and its American colonies

• American Indians and the War Effort

  • The resulting increase in contact with the world outside of the reservation system brought profound changes to American Indian culture.
  • American Indians first saw action in the Pacific Theater along with the rest of the American army and navy.
  • American Indians were also among the first Americans to enter Germany and played a role in the Liberation of Berlin.
  • Many military awards offered to American Indian soldiers were later used during the termination period by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as proof that American Indians were eager to assimilate into white mainstream American culture.
  • The war's aftermath, says historian Allison Bernstein, marked a "new era in Indian affairs" and turned "American Indians" into "Indian Americans."

• Race and Opportunity

  • By 1810, 75 percent of African Americans in the North and 13.5 percent of all African Americans in the United States were free.
  • The system of white supremacy that provided cultural justification of slavery also affected the status of free African Americans, who were perceived as members of an inferior race.
  • Free African American males enjoyed wider employment opportunities than free African American females, who were largely confined to domestic occupations.
  • The African American community also established schools for African American children, who were often barred from entering public schools.
  • While the majority of free African Americans lived in poverty, some were able to establish successful businesses that catered to the African American community.