Sadly, DiogenesLamp seems utterly consumed by his anti-historical fantasy of Charleston SC suddenly becoming an economic rival to New York, or any other major US ports. Trade must Balance.
When you can explain how to balance the money represented by this map with the origins from whence it come, you can start arguing about "fantasy."
The reality is that the only way to balance that map as it existed in 1860, is by a whole bunch of people taking a cut out of the money that belonged to people in the South.
There's just no evidence suggesting Charleston could ever, even under conditions of peace between US & Confederacy.
You can theorize all you want, but 3/4ths of the trade represented by that money pile would move to the South if the South became independent.
~ 300 million dollars was a lot of money in 1860. The loss of which was easily enough to start a war over.
DiogenesLamp:
"You can theorize all you want, but 3/4ths of the trade represented by that money pile would move to the South if the South became independent." That is just one of several Big Lies used by Fire Eaters to propagandize for secession.
The truth is that by 1860 Deep South exports were hugely important, but they weren't the 75% to 87% we see claimed.
50% to 60% is more realistic, and helps explain why the Northern economy was able to quickly adapt to life without Confederate states' products during the Civil War.
Further, in the 1850s about half the cotton crop shipped from New Orleans and of that 85% went directly to Europe.
So all this nonsense about "jiggered laws" and unfair trade practices is just that: nonsense.