Before the United States became a global giant, its fortunes rose and fell on ships, duties, and ledgers. Numbers tell the story here. J. Smith Homans gathers the hard evidence of early United States commerce into a single, lucid historical commerce study of US foreign trade. Drawn from contemporary returns and official reports in full, it measures trade as it happened. Part economic history reference and part archive, this volume tracks the nation's outward-facing economy through import export statistics, port-by-port returns, and clearly arranged statistical trade tables. It speaks to the practical mechanics behind prosperity: what goods crossed the Atlantic and Caribbean, where they came from, where they went, and how policy shaped the flow. You will find customs revenue, shipping tonnage, and comparative totals that illuminate the balance of trade and the pressures behind debate in Congress. For readers of American economic history and international trade history, the book's steady accumulation of data becomes a narrative of ambition, risk, and connection; for researchers, it remains a dependable researcher sourcebook and primary source document for examining tariff and trade policy, commercial cycles, and the changing geography of trade in 19th century America. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions, this classic has been restored for today's and future generations. More than a reprint - a collector's item and a cultural treasure, it belongs on the shelf of historians, economists, and anyone who enjoys seeing the past in measurable terms, alongside the enduring literature of the republic.
