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How Did The War Of 1812 Affect The Economy

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With the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, the revolutionary war was over, and the United States began the arduous task of rebuilding an economy held back by colonialism and destroyed by war. From the 1780s up until the 1810s, the economy was slowly growing and diversifying, however, the War of 1812 halted many of those advanced. The war ruined the United States economy once again, but it allowed it to grow and develop to new heights and become more prosperous than before the war with development of capital stock, population growth, higher prices for export, and a nation expanding to the west. After the revolutionary war, the United States began building the new economy. Through the genius of men like Alexander Hamilton, the American Economy …show more content…

Many industries were destroyed during the war, and the British dumbing of stockpiled goods into the market further hurt US businesses. In 1800, the United States was importing 8.4% worth of its GNP, which was much lower than the 15-20% it had from 1790-1800. The United States was becoming much more self-sufficient at this time, however, the war stopped that progress. This is seen as in 1810, the United States imported approximately 5.6% of its GNP, and exported approximately 4.9% GNP. Compare that to 1820, where 6.3% of GNP is exported, but 8.0% of GNP is imported. It can be inferred that the United States was recovering from the war in terms of exports, but was importing at a much higher level. The nation was forced to import almost the same amount as in the 1790s, creating a sense of one step forward, two steps back in terms of trade. Going into the 1830s, the United States imports would drop to 6.1% of GNP, meaning that the United States economy had fully recovered from the war’s direct impact on the …show more content…

Henry Clay in 1816 would set a tariff of 30-40% in order to counter the British dumping of goods into the markets. Although this move was not entirely popular, it did help in maintaining the glass, iron, and textile industries that has been growing during the blockade. This created and maintained the economic growth for the northern states. This would also allow the southern states to maintain their high prices for goods such as tobacco and cotton, boosting their economies. The entire nation benefited from this tariff, despite people from both north and south opposing the tariff for different reasons. The Blockade during the war showed that the United States needed a strong iron industry especially, so after the war, the United States did all it could to maintain and build the industry so it would not be destroyed by blockade again. This mentality of economic independence would help drive all American industries to grow and expand with the nation’s

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