{"id":12444,"date":"2023-10-09T01:05:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T00:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=12444"},"modified":"2023-10-09T01:05:02","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T00:05:02","slug":"what-country-closed-the-mississippi-river-to-travel-in-1784","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/what-country-closed-the-mississippi-river-to-travel-in-1784\/","title":{"rendered":"What Country Closed The Mississippi River To Travel In 1784"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The city of New Orleans was founded in 1718 and was one of the first permanent European settlements in the Lower Mississippi Valley. In the 1780s, travel along the Mississippi River was increasingly regulated by the United States government in order to prevent illegal goods, such as slaves, from being transported. In 1784, Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress voted to close the Mississippi River to traffic from foreign vessels. This was done in an effort to protect and promote American goods, goods produced in the United States.<\/p>\n

At the time, the American nation was just beginning to form and the closure of the Mississippi River was seen as one of the first steps in asserting American sovereignty. Jefferson argued that closing off the Mississippi River to foreign goods could create an economic advantage for American goods and goods produced within the new United States, while also helping to strengthen American trade with other countries. Unfortunately, this also had the unintended consequence of cutting off trade and communication between New Orleans and other parts of the country.<\/p>\n

The closure of the Mississippi River put a significant strain on the economies of both the United States and New Orleans. Without trading access, the economic output of both the United States and the city of New Orleans were greatly diminished. In addition, closure of the river also had an effect on the social and cultural aspects of the city, as many of the tradesmen and artisans that used to rely on trade were now unable to access their livelihoods, resulting in a significant change to the social and cultural landscape of the city.<\/p>\n

The closure of the Mississippi River had far-reaching consequences, both across the United States and in New Orleans. Many experts believe that by closing off one of the country’s most important trade routes, it drove the nation into economic depression, which in turn caused an increase in political unrest. Additionally, it is also believed that this provided an opening for foreign powers to take advantage of the country’s weakened position and advance their own interests.<\/p>\n