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Primary sourceDocument5 December 1791

Report on Manufactures

Alexander Hamilton · 5 December 1791

Hamilton's 1791 report to Congress arguing for tariffs and subsidies to build American manufacturing, held in draft form at the Library of Congress.

Hamilton wrote this report himself, laying out his economic vision as Treasury Secretary.

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Two manuscript pages of handwritten draft text on aged paper. The left page is labeled 'Original draught, part of the Report on Manufactures, No. 8'. The right page is headed 'Treasury Department, 1790' and begins 'The Secretary of the Treasury, in obedience to the order of the House of Representatives of the fifteenth day of January last'. Handwritten corrections are visible.
Alexander Hamilton, Report on the Subject of Manufactures (draft), 1791. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is the first draft manuscript of the Report on the Subject of Manufactures, written by Alexander Hamilton and presented to Congress on December 5, 1791. It is held in the Library of Congress among Hamilton's papers.

Why it matters

In the report, Hamilton argued that the United States needed tariffs and government subsidies to encourage manufacturing and reduce dependence on foreign goods. His ideas later influenced the "American System" promoted by Henry Clay. The report reveals Hamilton's vision of a diversified industrial economy, which clashed with Thomas Jefferson's preference for an agrarian nation.

Look closer

  • What handwritten corrections can you spot, and what might they tell you about how Hamilton revised his ideas?
  • Why might Hamilton have wanted the government to actively support industry rather than leave the economy alone?
  • What does this document leave out about how ordinary workers or farmers might have felt about his plan?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Alexander Hamilton and Adam Smith on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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