Outline of the development of the internal commerce of the United States / 1789-1900

A chronological study traces the evolution of internal commerce in the United States from the national founding through 1900, emphasizing how transportation limitations and regional markets shaped trade. It describes early reliance on rivers and coastal shipping, poor roads, and the Mississippi's opening and Louisiana purchase as catalysts for western commerce; the impact of tariffs, excise, the War of 1812, and financial panics; and the growing movement for canals, roads, and later rail links. The narrative links infrastructural constraints to regional economic divergence and to calls for interstate systems and regulatory responses.