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The Illinois System
Topic Started: Jan 19 2010, 08:25 PM (51 Views)
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An Empire for Liberty

February 28, 1837

The recent national debate over internal improvements and government aid has spawned an unlikely alliance between Democrats and Whigs in the Illinois senate. During the previous legislative session, Illinois became the latest state to enact a comprehensive subsidy for the construction of railroads, canals, and other infrastructure as a means of boosting economic development. This "Illinois System," a small-scale version of Henry Clay's American System, has appealed to industrialist and farmer alike due to the easier market access it affords local growers.

Credit for the bipartisan bill's success has been partly attributed to the good working relationship between the state majority and minority leaders, Messrs. Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, the latter having already attracted a national following in the Whig Party for his staunch support of the Bank of the United States. Though virtual opposites in political outlook, the two men and their cooperation on the Illinois System have come to symbolize the value internal developments hold for all sections and classes of America.


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Local newspaper drawing of Douglas (left) and Lincoln (center) speaking to a crowd outdoors on the Illinois System.
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