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The dominant cities in the colonies (in order): Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Charleston. If everything stayed in Philadelphia, history would be much different and New York would enjoy the status in the scheme of things that Philadelphia instead enjoys today.
Philadelphia was once the largest English-speaking city outside of London considering that the population of the world was much less back then.
Sorry, I disagree with you on this.
New York City for instance, was also Capitol of the United States at one time, and also capitol of New York. The Federal and State governments moving to other cities did not stop New York City from growing into one of the world's great cities.
The Revolutionary War broke the power of the Iroquois Indians and the British Colonial Government* who were blocking "the water level route" to the West. Once the way opened a tide of people and trade went back and forth between what is now the Great Lake States and New York/New England. Much of this trade went down the Mohawk-Hudson River route to NYC with its huge sheltered harbor. Especially, after the Erie Canal was built, it became almost INEVITABLE that NYC was going to grow faster than Philadelphia.
In fact NYC had ALREADY bypassed Philadelphia in population by 1790, the year of the 1790 Compromise. Its a different subject but The Compromise was NOT A CONSPIRACY to screw Philadelphia by the Founding Fathers, as someone suggested. In late 1790 the Capitol was moved out of New York City to Philadelphia, where it could remain for 10 years until a Federal District could be built down South**.
Philadelphia 1790 - 28,000
Philadelphia 1800 - 41,000
New York C 1790 - 33,000
New York C 1800 - 60,000
* See the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix
** See 1790 Compromise and the Residence Act
1.New York
2.Philly
3.Boston
4.Charleston
5.Baltimore
6.Northern Liberties Township
7.Salem
8.Newport
9.Providence
10.Marblehead
10.District of Southwark
3 of these are Present day Philly
Lol, it would be great if the US Capitol was located in a place called "Northern Liberties"!
The link shows a lot of interesting things. For instance, by 1890 the most populated cities were:
1. NYC
2. Chicago
3. Philadelphia
4. St Louis
5. Boston
6. Baltimore
7. Cleveland
8. Buffalo
9. San Francisco
10. Cincinnati
Note how all of these cities are NOT capitol cities, with I think the exception of Boston. They grew from trade, shipping, factories and railroads, not government. And I think Boston with her harbor would still have been a top city even if she was not the Massachussetts capitol anyway.
Another example is Baltimore. She became the number 2 city, bypassing Philadelphia, between 1830 to about 1853. In order to compete with the Erie Canal, she started the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, one of the oldest railroads in the country. No Federal Capitol was needed here.
I am not saying that Capitol Cities do not have a huge advantage. Look at how many of the world's great cities are capitols. I am only saying that it is not necessary for a great city to be the government center, and it should not be used as a crutch.
The Federal and State governments moving to other cities did not stop New York City from growing into one of the world's great cities.
But think how much greater if the government of the most powerful country in the world and the economic engine of the most powerful country in the world were in one city! New York doesn't have the prestige of "European Captials" (London and Paris).
I wouldn't read too much into the shifting population figures of these cities during this period because alot of the increases were caused by annexation of their neighbors which happened arbitrarily.
I wish I had set up this thread differently. It should have been "What if there had not been a Washington, DC" Philly was just the most obvious default for a capital city because of it's past history as one prior to and during the revolution.
New York was only ever a temporary stop for the seat of government and as others have pointed out, it's destiny was determined by it's spectacular harbor and the Hudson River whether it was a capital or not.
How would political representation be impacted in both places and in Pennsylvania? Assuming Philadephia would have been siphoned off from Pennsylvania and exist as the District of Philadelphia, wouldn't some electoral college votes be less in Pennsylvania with no Philadelphia? Wouldn't the people of Philadelphia have no Rep in the House of Representatives, just a delegate? No Senate representation? Pennsylvania would be down in the House of Representatives, too, without Philadelphia.
But think how much greater if the government of the most powerful country in the world and the economic engine of the most powerful country in the world were in one city! New York doesn't have the prestige of "European Captials" (London and Paris).
But think how much greater if the government of the most powerful country in the world and the economic engine of the most powerful country in the world were in one city! New York doesn't have the prestige of "European Captials" (London and Paris).
Maybe in Your mind, but the world cities deemed to be the top four on earth are London, Paris, Tokyo, and New York
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