[x]

That appears to be more about shipping than shipbuilding. Opening US coastal trade to foreign companies wouldn't have done much to encourage Southern shipbuilding.

Missing is the fact that smaller New England ports -- Salem, Newburyport, etc. -- also went into decline in the early 19th century.

The advantage at the time was to larger ports with extensive rail connections and large economic hinterlands: New York, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia.

Charleston and Savannah didn't develop their rail connections. The free population was smaller and more sparsely settled.

Still, there was regular shipping between Charleston and foreign ports. James Adger, a Charleston shipper, was at one point the fourth-richest man in America. George Trenholm, another Charleston shipper, was also one of the richest men in the country.

[SoCal Pubbie]

“ Charleston and Savannah didn't develop their rail connections.”

Absolutely correct. The genteel folk in Charleston didn't want noisy locomotives disturbing the tranquil downtown area. So any cargo had to be transferred from the rail cars, carried through town, and reloaded at the dock. Other cities built rail lines right to the port and passed the once thriving port of Charleston went into decline.

[DiogenesLamp]

Here is another comment I ran across from the fellow claiming his family was involved in the Northern shipping business in this period of history. Also see the one just above it.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3443027/posts?page=1045#1045

[HandyDandy]

bkmk