commerce

Examples of commerce in the following topics:

• Gibbons v. Ogden

  • Ogden was a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court granted Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce.
  • Ogden, 22 U.S. 1 (1824), was a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the power to regulate interstate commerce was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.
  • He stressed that one must question whether or not a particular commerce has wide-ranging effects, suggesting that commerce that does "affect other states" may be interstate commerce, even if it does not cross state lines.
  • Supreme Court had to interpret the language of the Commerce Clause, and determine whether or not the law regulated "commerce" that was "among the several states. " The Court held that "commerce" constitutes more than mere traffic, rather, that it includes the trade of commodities, and therefore intercourse.
  • Ogden case, Marshall began the careful work of determining what the phrase "commerce...among the several states" meant.

• The Market Revolution

  • The Market Revolution of the 19th century radically shifted commerce as well as the way of life for most Americans.
  • Traditional commerce was made obsolete by improvements in transportation, communication and industry.
  • Following the War of 1812, the American economy was altered from an economy partly dependent on imports from Europe to an empire of internal commerce.

• Blue Water Imperialism

  • The dominant 17th and 18th-century British ideology of blue water imperialism was founded on the values of commerce and freedom—for some.
  • Blue water empire ideology also hinged on the expansion of international commerce and national wealth.
  • Instead, they believed commerce could be conducted peacefully—since it would create a fair market for mutually beneficial trade that required little government interaction.
  • If the British Empire was not going to be based on territorial acquisitions, then it was necessary to control the seas through naval superiority to protect commerce.
  • Hence, for liberals, "maritime" meant using the navy to establish British superiority over the seas so that commerce and colonization could occur, as they perceived, peacefully.

• Across the Atlantic: France and Britain

  • Delegates of King Louis XVI of France and the Second Continental Congress, who represented the United States government at the time, signed the treaty along with The Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris on February 6, 1778, formalizing a Franco-American alliance that would technically remain in effect until 1800.
  • This reluctance to send military aid to the Americans, however, changed with Washington's defeat of Britain at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777: when France re-initiated negotiations with the United States for a formal alliance that resulted in both the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance.
  • The Treaty of Alliance was, in effect, an insurance policy for France that guaranteed the support of the United States if Britain broke the current peace they had with the French, "either by direct hostilities, or by (hindering) her commerce and navigation," as a result of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce.
  • On March 17, 1778, four days after a French ambassador informed the British government that they had officially recognized the United States as an independent nation with the signing of The Treaty of Alliance and The Treaty of Amity and Commerce, England declared war on France.
  • The Jay Treaty (also known as Jay's Treaty, The British Treaty, and the Treaty of London of 1794), was officially known as the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and The United States of America.

• The Articles of Confederation

  • Congress was also denied the power to regulate either foreign trade or interstate commerce.
  • Congress' inability to encourage commerce and economic development—or to redeem the public obligations (debts) incurred during the war—significantly hindered its power.
  • His recommended changes included granting Congress power over foreign and domestic commerce and providing means for it to collect money from state treasuries.

• A Market Society

  • During the Market Revolution in the first half of the 19th century, traditional modes of commerce were made obsolete by improvements in transportation, communication, and industry.
  • As American dependency on imports from Europe decreased, the importance of internal commerce increased dramatically.

• The Transcontinental Railroads

  • Completed in 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad served as a vital link for trade, commerce and travel between the East and West of the U.S.
  • Known as the Pacific Railroad when it opened, it served as a vital link for trade, commerce, and travel and opened up vast regions of the North American heartland for settlement.
  • Shipping and commerce could thrive away from navigable watercourses for the first time since the beginning of the nation.

• An Empire of Commerce

• The Soul of a Republic

  • To Adams, history taught that "the Spirit of Commerce... is incompatible with that purity of Heart, and Greatness of soul which is necessary for a happy Republic."
  • However, so much of that spirit of commerce had already infected the United States.
  • Adams noted that, in New England: "Even the Farmers and Tradesmen are addicted to Commerce."

• A Virtuous Citizenry

  • To Adams, history taught that "the Spirit of Commerce ... is incompatible with that purity of Heart, and Greatness of soul which is necessary for a happy Republic. " But so much of that spirit of commerce had infected America.
  • In New England, Adams noted, "even the Farmers and Tradesmen are addicted to Commerce. " As a result, there was "a great Danger that a Republican Government would be very factious and turbulent there. "