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A Dictionary of American History
Contents:
Bonus Bill (1817)
Bonus Bill (1817) On 4 February 1817, John Calhoun introduced a bill to create a permanent federal fund for internal improvements with the $1,500,000 bonus paid by the second Bank of the United States and all future dividends earned on the government’s share of bank stock. Arguing from a position of loose constructionism, Calhoun argued that the Constitution authorized Congress to finance transportation systems under its power to build post roads and promote the general welfare. James Madison vetoed the measure on grounds of strict constructionism, arguing that the Constitution did not authorize subsidies for internal improvements (as opposed to reserving proceeds from sales of the public domain to finance transportation improvements, as in the National Road). The Maysville road veto upheld Madison’s general position.
Contents:
Chicago:
Thomas L. Purvis, "Bonus Bill (1817)," A Dictionary of American History in A Dictionary of American History (Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell Reference, 1995), Original Sources, accessed July 19, 2025, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=BUKSQ7RMTDYN9ZH&H=1.
MLA:
Purvis, Thomas L. "Bonus Bill (1817)." A Dictionary of American History, in A Dictionary of American History, Cambridge, Mass., Blackwell Reference, 1995, Original Sources. 19 Jul. 2025. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=BUKSQ7RMTDYN9ZH&H=1.
Harvard:
Purvis, TL, 'Bonus Bill (1817)' in A Dictionary of American History. cited in 1995, A Dictionary of American History, Blackwell Reference, Cambridge, Mass.. Original Sources, retrieved 19 July 2025, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=BUKSQ7RMTDYN9ZH&H=1.
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