Madison Administrations - Domestic Issues
Domestic Issues
When Madison was sworn in for his first administration, the United States consisted of 17 states and a large new territory extending from the Ohio River to the Rocky Mountains (the Louisiana Purchase). Nearly 85 percent of the population lived on farms or plantations. Voting was limited to white males, and in many areas—especially in the South—even white males faced disenfranchisement, or deprivation of the right to vote, due to property requirements. The U.S. population was between seven and eight million, and there were about four million slaves. American Indians east of the Mississippi River were gradually losing control of their homelands to American settlers, a trend that would be hastened by their unsuccessful alliance with the British during the War of 1812.
Communication in the interior was poor. There were no railroads, and roads, canals, and bridges were primitive at best. The United States played...
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