Replies

SoCal Pubbie: "I found it!
An actual image of the act, nor just the text.
So yes, Dim you were right.
There was legislation regarding navigation in 1817!"

The Navigation Act of 1817 required all shipping among US ports to be by US owned ships, and I think some law like that is still in effect today.

The key point to remember here is that in 1817 Washington, DC, was ruled over by Southern Democrats -- with a Southern Democrat President, and Democrat majorities in both House (79% Democrats) and Senate (70% Democrats) under solid Southern control.
So this had nothing to do with "northeastern power brokers" or their "money flows from Europe", it was simply a common-sense attempt to encourage putting Americans first.

In 1817 Southern cities like Baltimore, MD, and Charleston, SC, had prosperous ship-building industries, so there was no reason then to suppose the 1817 Navigation Act would in some way disadvantage them.

What did disadvantage Southern ship-builders in Charleston or New Orleans were steam-powered ships and railroad connections to interior populations.
And whose fault was that?

"Sir! . . . We are an agricultural people. . . . We have no cities—we don’t want them. . . . We want no manufactures: we desire no trading, no mechanical or manufacturing classes. . . ..As long as we have our rice, our sugar, our tobacco, and our cotton, we can command wealth to purchase all we want. . . . "

You’ve posted in a general manner that which I’m seeking in detail. The state by state vote on the act. I think seeing who voted in favor will be interesting to say the least. And go a long way toward dispelling the idea that Southern states were at the mercy of the whims of Northern politicians.

One other thing. Great Britain was doing the same thing, with various protectionist acts going clear back to 1651. That’s why the restrictions did not apply to nations that did not have similar restrictions in their own laws.