“If it be the desire of the people that the agency of the Federal Government should be confined to the appropriation of money for some of the objects of internal improvement... it is not the desire of the President to thwart that wish... [But] it is important that the authority to do so should be derived from the Constitution... [The Maysville Road] is a project of a local, not a national, character...”
— President Andrew Jackson, Maysville Road Veto Message, 1830
Based on the excerpt, which of the following best explains why Andrew Jackson vetoed the Maysville Road Bill?
- AHe believed the Marshall Court had already ruled that the federal government could not regulate interstate transportation.
- He believed the federal government lacked the constitutional authority to fund transportation projects of a purely local character.Answer
- CHe wanted to protect Alexander Hamilton's financial plan by routing all transportation funding through the national bank.
- DHe sought to completely halt the growth of the Market Revolution to protect traditional agricultural lifestyles.
Answer
Jackson vetoed the bill because he believed the federal government did not have the constitutional power to fund infrastructure projects that were purely local or intrastate in nature.
The correct answer is correct because Andrew Jackson's veto of the Maysville Road Bill was based on his strict interpretation of the Constitution. He argued that since the proposed road lay entirely within the state of Kentucky (making it an intrastate, or local, project rather than an interstate one), federal funding for it was unconstitutional.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Maysville Road Veto and the debate over federal power and internal improvements.