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Philadelphia in 1800 was the financial,cultural, and political capital of the USA.
I read a couple articles that Pennsylvania thought they had a lock on the permanent US Capitol being built in Philadephia.6 of the the top 10 most populous towns in 1800 were towns that now make up the city of Philadelphia. They made indepth plans for The Capitol to be built in the Germantown/Chestnut Hill neighborhoods.
NY/Va had the key people though and basically Thomas Jefferson/ James Madison from Va. and Alexander Hamilton from NY(the 3 most powerful people in the US at that time got together and hatched a plan to fleece Philadelphia. The political power ended up in VA/MD and the financial power ended up in NYC. Some powerful and rich Philadlephians including Robert Morris and Ben Franklin had just passed away prior to the decision to move the capitol. If the timing was just a bit different the Capitol may very well have ended up in NW Philadelphia.
Its news to me that Virginia & New York teamed up "and hatched a plan to fleece Philadelphia". I have read alot of history books and never read anything like that. I was under the impression that Southerners wanted the Capitol more equally distant to them, plus the city could be put in a Federal District outside any one states's control.
Also to say that a few individuals could wave a wand and make NYC the "financial power" pretty much ignores how our capitalist system works.
I have always thought that Richmond's growth was thwarted by it's proximity to Metro D.C.
They are kind of far so I do not think there is too much effect. Now Baltimore is much closer and is probably a lot more effected. But I never read anything about the subject so maybe you are right.
Its news to me that Virginia & New York teamed up "and hatched a plan to fleece Philadelphia". I have read alot of history books and never read anything like that. I was under the impression that Southerners wanted the Capitol more equally distant to them, plus the city could be put in a Federal District outside any one states's control.
Also to say that a few individuals could wave a wand and make NYC the "financial power" pretty much ignores how our capitalist system works.
Yes PA would have relinquished NW Philadelphia to become the federal district Washington DC.
I'll try to dig up the articles and post the links about this alleged series of events.
Philadlephias fall from grace was pretty swift it went from being thee marquee city in the usa to an industrial city. I wasnt there so I cant say for certain that some back door politics was the cause of Philadelphias demise, but what I can say is that Philaldephia was the US Capitol and the most powerful city in the usa at the turn of the 19th century, a mere decade later it was on its way to being an industrial power.
One day you are the capitol, the countrys bank, the leading cultural city,and the HQ's of the country, the next day you are making shoes + hats trying to survive.
Does that happen without some powerful intervention?
I doubt if Philadelphia and Pennsylvania said who needs this lofty status of being the capitol of the new world, lets concentrate on making tin-cans instead.
CEO's relocate businesses to their home surroundings.
Well Washington,Jefferson,Madison all of Northern Va were the CEO's of this country following the constitution. Most likely that is why DC is the Capitol, if those dudes were born and raised in Villanova or Philadlephia then the Capitol would have been built in PA.
While the permanent Capitol was under discussion the vast majority of politicians wanted to keep it in Philadlephia.
The CEO's had other plans for the Capitol.
George Washington(VA)-President
Thomas Jefferson(VA)-Vice President
James Madison(VA)- Sec of State " Father of the Constitution"
I hate to veer from the OP's original question, but from I what I've gathered, geography and disaster both played important roles in the decline of Philadelphia's domestic/international/commercial importance. Because the Delaware & Schuylkill Rivers were busy/somewhat small and shallow waterways; the distance to the Atlantic Ocean [to serve the other colonies and Europe] was too great to meet the commercial needs of the new country. New York City, on the other hand, was not as far inland, and was closer to the Atlantic with more harbors. Of course, it didn't help Philadelphia when the largest yellow fever outbreak occurred and then lost 10 percent of its population. Soon after the state capital moved, then the federal government followed suit. I'm sure there's more to it than that, [i.e. impending British attack, fear & suspicion from both Southerners/Northerners/corruption/ etc.]. Either way, I personally think Philadelphia is an awesome city that has done pretty well since then.
They are kind of far so I do not think there is too much effect. Now Baltimore is much closer and is probably a lot more effected. But I never read anything about the subject so maybe you are right.
Baltimore is 1 hour from D.C., and Richmond is 1.5 hours from D.C. I wouldn't call that distance "much closer".
I think Richmond was much more affected from being close to D.C. than Baltimore. They were both once much more important than they are now, but Baltimore is still a major U.S. city - Richmond isn't.
Baltimore is 1 hour from D.C., and Richmond is 1.5 hours from D.C. I wouldn't call that distance "much closer".
I think Richmond was much more affected from being close to D.C. than Baltimore. They were both once much more important than they are now, but Baltimore is still a major U.S. city - Richmond isn't.
Deac, I checked on Mapquest and it is roughly 35 miles from Washington to Baltimore. Its over 100 miles from Washington to Richmond.
Now when you can drive 60+ miles an hour you can make it to Richmond in a hour and a half like you said. But that is without traffic and I don't know if you know I-95 but there is often going to be alot of traffic. Certainly something people would not want to do a rush hour commute through every day.
So yes I would say that Baltimore is alot closer to DC than Richmond. I mean look at a map.
Part of the thought process when the decision for the permanent Capitol was made, was that NYC + Philadelphia were too close together which would have caused all kind of logistical problems in case of a future invasion.
New York in 1800 was irrelevant; it was considered backwater to Philadelphia just as Philadelphia is now overshadowed in fame and power to NYC. Apparently Alexander Hamilton had an inferiority complex with New York and executed his brilliant plan to destroy Philadelphia's dominance over Government and Finance. If he had done nothing, Philadelphia would stay both the capital of the United States and the financial center of the world (instead of Wall Street, name a tree!). The two Banks of the United States were (and the U.S. Mint is still) located in the financial center of Center City Philadelphia.
If the conspiracy was foiled, America would be a different place since Philadelphia will become the primate city of America (as London is to the U.K. and Paris is to France and second-world examples of Manila and Mexico City--especially with regard to religion in the Spanish territories, or the latest example Port-au-Prince) and Americans up and down the coast (and later from the Midwest, South, and West regions) flock to Philadelphia for jobs and opportunity but most of all build a the primate city for the glory of the United States.
New York in 1800 was irrelevant; it was considered backwater to Philadelphia just as Philadelphia is now overshadowed in fame and power to NYC. Apparently Alexander Hamilton had an inferiority complex with New York and executed his brilliant plan to destroy Philadelphia's dominance over Government and Finance. The two Banks of the United States were (and the U.S. Mint is still) located in the financial center of Center City Philadelphia.
If the conspiracy was foiled, America would be a different place since Philadelphia will become the primate city of America (as London is to the U.K. and Paris is to France and second-world examples of Manila and Mexico City--especially with regard to religion in the Spanish territories, or the latest example Port-au-Prince) and Americans up and down the coast (and later from the Midwest, South, and West regions) flock to Philadelphia for jobs and opportunity but most of all build a the primate city for the glory of the United States.
Wow, LOL
Did Hamilton or the Virginians as Rainrock suggested force Pennsylvania to move its state capitol to Harrisburg? Was that a conspiracy too? Was George Washington in on that too? I like how you guys make stuff up.
What Philadelphia "dominance over government and finance"? Cities like New York, Boston, Baltimore and Charleston might take issue with that. Nobody in the Carolinas cared about Philadlephia, it was a village by todays standards. The overwhealming majority of Americans were farmers and barely cared about ANY city, except perhaps their state capitol.
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