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Importance of Land in Early America

Before the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, there already was a differ3ence between the colonists who owned land and the ordinary worker. When the U. S. became a free nation, land ownership became more important than ever. How important was land? Nearly every man who signed the Constitution was a landowner. There was even a concession to Southern plantation owners, who owned slaves. Slaves were considered property. They could not vote. Even freed slaves were given less than a single white man's voting power.

Land was important in politics: the Federalists and anti-Federalists. Those who wanted a strong central government. Those who believed in states; rights. Land was important in a political group called "Dual Federalists. Given that there are various types of Federalism, they should be defined. At the time the country was constitutionally organized, many people believed in Dual Federalism. "Dual Federalism originated in what may be called "the Rural Republic" immediately after the Constitution was adopted. This form "enumerated powers,

sovereign and equal spheres" It is important to realize that, at first, the federal government was limited. America had a basically rural economy. The various colonies, which had been more or less self-governing, did not want to give up many of their rights.

Once the Revolution was over, Americans began to move West. The government felt it was their right to do so. For the most part, the government ignored the Indians who lived on the land, and had lived there, maybe for centuries. This move West brought some debates: "Congress was confronted with Western questionsa.Should white settlement in the Indian country be encouraged or discouraged, and how?" It was a difficult political decision, one which would affect not only new land settlements, but political party dominance. States like Connecticut, Virginia and West Virginia were literally giving up some of...

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Importance of Land in Early America. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 00:22, March 19, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1695618.html