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Commerce and Arms: The Federal Government, Native Americans, and the Economy of the Old Northwest, 1783–1807

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2006

WILLIAM H. BERGMANN
Affiliation:
Northern Michigan University

Extract

This dissertation argues that the federal government played an essential role in the shaping of the western economy. American expansion necessitated not only that land be opened up, but also that the regional economy be reorganized. Specifically, the federal government did so in three ways. First, the military wrested control of the western economy from the tribes of the Northwest Territory through warfare, both during the Indian wars of the 1790s and later during the War of 1812. Second, the federal government sponsored the construction of roads throughout the region. Finally, colonial agencies of the federal government attempted to transform the Native American economy from one focused on fur trading to one centered on sedentary commercial agriculture.

Type
SUMMARIES OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS
Copyright
© 2006 The Economic History Association

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