Internal-Improvements

National Road Reaches Wheeling, Demonstrating Federal Infrastructure Capability Despite Constitutional Debates

1818-08-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 6/10

The National Road, also known as the Cumberland Road, reaches Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) on the Ohio River after seven years of construction, completing the first federally funded interstate highway in American history. President Thomas Jefferson had promoted the road to support westward …

U.S. Congress Thomas Jefferson George Washington Henry McKinley infrastructure internal-improvements westward-expansion constitutional-interpretation

Madison Vetoes Bonus Bill for Internal Improvements on Constitutional Grounds, Setting Precedent Against Federal Infrastructure

1817-03-03 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

On the last day of his administration, President James Madison vetoes the Bonus Bill, legislation proposed by Representative John C. Calhoun to earmark the $1.5 million revenue “bonus” and future dividends (estimated at $650,000 annually) from the recently established Second Bank of the …

President James Madison John C. Calhoun Henry Clay U.S. Congress constitutional-interpretation internal-improvements infrastructure states-rights institutional-obstruction