"A Lawless Rabble".

Cultural policy; Legal status of squatters; Squatter settlements; Land settlement; Popular culture; Social structure; Public lands; Clay, Henry, 1777-1852; Government policy

The article discusses the contribution of Henry Clay to the cultural politics of American squatters' rights from 1832-1841. The settlement of western lands influenced the character of American society. Many scholars assumed that the Jacksonian Democratic Party cared more on the actual peopling of the West than Clay and his fellow promoters of the "American System." It notes that filling lands mattered to him since settlement by men of average means affected the social structure, economic stability and moral character of the West. He believes that western development strengthens the Union and enriches its citizens.