Internal Improvement in America - Book Report/Review Example

Internal Improvement in America The history of American development was perhaps as dramatic as any history could get. After the declaration of American independence, there was an urgent need to make the American state on the road to development and acquiring the social amenities that were required to boost the economic prosperity of the new states. The internal improvement led by a new government faced multiple challenges mainly from finance, discords, misunderstandings and other factors that were responsible for the slow take off in the new state of America. The issue of internal improvements was a war between two major political functions led by Jeffersonian and Hamiltonians. However despite the many disagreements between the two functions, the major impacts in the internal improvements were experienced due to lack of science, technology, innovations and technological advancement that had an effect on the internal movement of the new state. The lack of technology in initiating developments was the main issue behind many of the disagreements that marked internal improvements. Willis (360) argues that one of the Jefferson’s plans in initiating development was to let contracts not take more than 20 years, a suggestion that did not go well with Madison. The new state required developments mostly in the road network and bridges. Having restricted contracts to 20 years suggests that the time it would take for a single project to be completed was enormous considering the primitive facilities to be used. Willis, Garry. Inventing America: Jefferson’s Declaration of independence. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. In 20 years, judging from the current state portrays a case of limited technologies and resources that had to take considerable time in constructing. Di Lorenzo (2) further argues that due to the time it took for the projects to take effect, there was massive corruption cases in public resources mainly taxes. The American system paper by Henry Clay that suggested the use of public taxes on road and canal construction clearly demonstrates this. To subsidize the internal improvements, there was a feeling that the public taxes be employed to infrastructure construction. The weak technological innovations and advancement in tracking and managing public resources were evident in this case. The lack of proper technologies in fiscal management led to massive corruption cases, which directly impacted on the expansion and development of roads and rails as the transport networks. However, as Lorenzo argues, it was the lack of proper technologies in tracking the pubic tax usage that led to many states changing their constitutions for the better, to curb misuse of public resources. The lack of technology aided in constitutional changes that were critical in ensuring the internal improvements was properly realized. Lack of technology and innovation had crippled the American development due to low incomes that each state collected Larson (71) argues that although Madison’s proposal was that states had to carry out national program without the federal funding or control, no other state except New York could raise the required money required to carry out such developments. Di Lorenzo Thomas. The role of private transportation in America’s 19th century “internal Improvements” debate. Sellinger School of Business and Management Larson. L. John. Internal improvement: national public works and the promise of the popular government in the early United States of America.CA: University of N. Carolina, 2001. The weak industrial developments as a result of poor technologies and innovations meant that few industries present in many states and the lack of income generated due to poor road networks deprived states the much needed resources that were required to stimulate independent development projects in each state. This was the biggest challenge to internal improvement, as the federal government had to chip in to bail out such states. The requirement of a national system that could embrace all the states in ensuring internal improvement in communication networks was required, and considerably lowered the rate at which the internal improvement was scheduled to take. The technological advancement in road construction as Larson (71) further elaborates was much lower than the technology required in building strong bridges across major rivers that crossed many of the states. The presence of major rivers was a real concern in the development of road and rail networks and the slow pace at which the construction was carried out as a result of the challenges in construction the bridges had a significant effect on the rate of internal improvement in America. According to Di Lorenzo (4) the approach taken in undertaking large projects in developments to enhance internal improvement mainly linked to the rail and road network led to many states including Illinois becoming bankrupt. The government subsidized rail and road building projects being undertaken, were taking considerable amount of budgets from these states though the projects were subsidized by the government, the economy of these states could not sustain these projects. Di Lorenzo Thomas. The role of private transportation in America’s 19th century “internal Improvements” debate. Sellinger School of Business and Management Larson. L. John. Internal improvement: national public works and the promise of the popular government in the early United States of America.CA: University of N. Carolina, 2001. The lack of solid and strong economic infrastructure in these states was responsible for weak economic impetus that could not sustain developments. Larson (71) further argues that investors found greater returns in agricultural activities and commerce and shunned the more capital intensive projects. Largely the lack of proper technologies and innovations led many investors to prefer the agricultural operations compared to the more capital intensive projects such as investing in industrial activities. Industries required innovative practices well based in technology that could have enabled the states to sustain such projects through taxation and exports of products to other states. The preference of agriculture, which was not technologically intensive, was a result of lower technologies in manufacturing sectors and industries that could have aided in economic improvement in states such as Illinois preventing them from being bankrupt. The economic preference in agriculture though it supplemented the country with food was also a hindrance to internal improvement as capital for road networks could not be obtained. Larson (72) argues that one of the states that were affected by poor road and rail networks that crippled the internal improvements was Maryland. Unlike in New York where nature and development were advantageous towards internal improvement, Maryland’s internal improvement was slowed by poor road and rail networks. Having being torn between waterways and weak road networks, Maryland s Larson argues had to struggle hard to avoid a comparative disadvantage that could have been a blow to its internal improvement process. Larson. L. John. Internal improvement: national public works and the promise of the popular government in the early United States of America.CA: University of N. Carolina, 2001. The little resource base in Maryland was an added disadvantage as innovations and technological advancement as well as sciences in innovation that could have aided in stimulating development through tapping the meager resources were remote. This put Maryland at a comprised disadvantage compared to other states such as New York. Willis (263) argues that lack of state control in infrastructural development as hindering the internal improvement program and slowing down road and rail infrastructure that could have spurred growth in remote areas. The high cost of technology as Di Lorenzo (6) outlines clearly indicates lack of skills in a science that could have aided in cheaper development approach in building of the American nation. For example, more than $11 million invested in turnpikes in New York, $ 6.5 million in New England and about $4.5 million in Pennsylvania between 1794 and 1840 building only 3,750 miles of road (Di Lorenzo, 5). The large amount of resources utilized indicates lack of proper science in road construction and technology that could have lowered the overall cost. In a addition as Larson (72) argues, projects were being taken by private developers and this increased the rate of corruption and poor resource utilization affecting the internal improvement policies. However, the new built turnpikes though expensive were instrumental in providing the necessary income at 3% or less annually as well as boosting developments due to improvement infrastructure. In making of a nation through inventing America, tough decisions both political and economical had to be made to stimulate growth and development. Di Lorenzo Thomas. The role of private transportation in America’s 19th century “internal Improvements” debate. Sellinger School of Business and Management Larson. L. John. Internal improvement: national public works and the promise of the popular government in the early United States of America.CA: University of N. Carolina, 2001. Willis, Garry. Inventing America: Jefferson’s Declaration of independence. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2002 The use of subsidies and public taxes were the major sources of income that had to be used to enhance internal improvement in the country. The natural disadvantages in many states, lack of technological advancement and innovation were among the hindrances that slowed down achievement of the internal improvement policies. Construction of road networks with the remote technologies proved to be a hard task and due the poor roads and rail network, internal development in states such as Maryland and Illinois were largely affected. The lack of proper science in planning and carrying out proper studies on raid networks led to the use of massive amounts of income in road improvements. Therefore, the internal improvement in the in the new state was being hindered by poor technological advancement and lack of innovative skills to improve these technologies both in construction and management. Work cited Di Lorenzo Thomas. The role of private transportation in America’s 19th century “internal Improvements” debate. Sellinger School of Business and Management Larson. L. John. Internal improvement: national public works and the promise of the popular government in the early United States of America.CA: University of N. Carolina, 2001. Willis, Garry. Inventing America: Jefferson’s Declaration of independence. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Read More