Yankee Merchants and the Making of the Urban West: The Rise and Fall of Antebellum St. Louis (Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Modern History)

In 1850 St. Louis was the commercial capital of the West. By 1860, however, Chicago had supplanted St. Louis and became the great metropolis of the region. This book explains the rapid ascent and the abrupt collapse of the Missouri city. It devotes particular attention to the ways in which northeastern merchants fueled the rise of St. Louis. But unlike most studies of nineteenth-century cities, the book analyzes the influence of national politics on urbanization. It examines the process through which the sectional crisis transformed the role of Yankee merchants in St. Louis's development and thus triggered the fall of the first great city of the trans-Mississippi West. This Book Analyzes The Rise And Fall Of Antebellum St. Louis, The First Great Urban Center Of The Trans-mississippi West. At Midcentury, St. Louis Commanded The West: It Was The Principal Western Cog In The National Economy And One Of The Fastest-growing Cities In The Nation.--book Jacket. Using Both Quantitative And More Traditional Methods And Drawing Extensively On Credit Records, Jeffrey Adler Analyzes The Forces That Determined The Role Of Western Cities In The National Economy. He Devotes Particular Attention To The Ways In Which Yankee Merchants Forged Ties That Linked St. Louis To New York And Boston Markets. Northeastern Businessmen Merchants Fueled The Ascent Of St. Louis And Made The City A Yankee Colony In The West.--book Jacket. During The Mid-1850s Powerful Political And Cultural Forces Altered The Sources Of Urban Growth In The West. As A Result, The Economy Of St. Louis Collapsed. Yankee Merchants Stopped Migrating To The City And Ceased Investing In Local Businesses. This Book Demonstrates That The Sectional Crisis Abruptly Transformed St. Louis's Role In The National Economy, Redirecting The Flow Of Capital And Migrants Away From St. Louis And Toward A Smaller Western City - Chicago. By The Late 1850s Chicago Has Supplanted Its Missouri Rival And Become The Commercial Capital Of The Region. Thus, Conflict Sparked By The Debate Over The Future Of Slavery Remade The Urban West.--book Jacket. Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 'these Yankee Notions Will Not Suit Missouri' -- Savagedom, Destiny, And The Isothermal Zodiac -- Yankee Newcomers And Prosperity -- 'the Offspring Of The East' -- A Border City In An Age Of Sectionalism -- Rebirth -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index. Jeffrey S. Adler. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. By the early 1850s, St Louis was one of the fastest-growing cities in America. In this book, Jeffrey Adler analyzes the forces that determined the role of western cities in the national economy. He devotes particular attention to the ways in which Yankee merchants forged ties that linked St Louis to the New York and Boston markets. Northeastern businessmen fuelled the ascent of St Louis and made the city a Yankee colony in the West. During the mid-1850s powerful political and cultural forces altered the sources of urban growth in the West. As a result, the economy of St Louis collapsed. Yankee merchants stopped migrating to the city and ceased investing in local businesses. This book demonstrates that the sectional crisis abruptly transformed St Louis's role in the national economy, redirecting the flow of capital and migrants away from St. Louis and toward a smaller western city - Chicago During the mid-1850s powerful political and cultural forces altered the sources of urban growth in the American West. This book demonstrates that the sectional crisis abruptly transformed St Louis's role in the national economy, redirecting the flow of capital and migrants away from St Louis and toward a smaller western city - Chicago. This study examines the forces that shaped the growth of western cities in antebellum America.