e　were　reasonably　prosperous；　at　least；　there　was　no　general　distress　or　poverty。　Suffering　had　existed　in　the　regions　ravaged　by　war；　but　no　section　had　suffered　unduly　or　had　had　to　bear　the　burden　of　war　during　the　entire　period　of　fighting。　American　products　had　been　in　demand；　especially　in　the　West　India　Islands；　and　an　illicit　trade　with　the　enemy　had　sprung　up；　so　that　even　during　the　war　shippers　were　able　to　dispose　of　their　commodites　at　good　prices。　The　Americans　are　commonly　said　to　have　been　an　agricultural　people；　but　it　would　be　more　correct　to　say　that　the　great　majority　of　the　people　were　dependent　upon　extractive　industries；　which　would　include　lumbering；　fishing；　and　even　the　fur　trade；　as　well　as　the　ordinary　agricultural　pursuits。　Save　for　a　few　industries；　of　which　shipbuilding　was　one　of　the　most　important；　there　was　relatively　little　manufacturing　apart　from　the　household　crafts。　These　household　industries　had　increased　during　the　war；　but　as　it　was　with　the　individual　so　it　was　with　the　whole　country；　the　general　course　of　industrial　activity　was　much　the　same　as　it　had　been　before　the　war。　A　fundamental　fact　is　to　be　observed　in　the　economy　of　the　young　nation：　the　people　were　raising　far　more　tobacco　and　grain　and　were　extracting　far　more　of　other　products　than　they　could　possibly　use　themselves；　for　the　surplus　they　must　find　markets。　They　had；　as　well；　to　rely　upon　the　outside　world　for　a　great　part　of　their　manufactured　goods；　especially　for　those　of　the　higher　grade。　In　other　words；　from　the　economic　point　of　view；　the　United　States　remained　in　the　former　colonial　stage　of　industrial　dependence；　which　was　aggravated　rather　than　alleviated　by　the　separation　from　Great　Britain。　During　the　colonial　period；　Americans　had　carried　on　a　large　amount　of　this　external　trade　by　means　of　their　own　vessels。　The　British　Navigation　Acts　required　the　transportation　of　goods　in　British　vessels；　manned　by　crews　of　British　sailors；　and　specified　certain　commodities　which　could　be　shipped　to　Great　Britain　only。　They　also　required　that　much　of　the　European　trade　should　pass　by　way　of　England。　But　colonial　vessels　and　colonial　sailors　came　under　the　designation　of　〃British；〃　and　no　small　part　of　the　prosperity　of　New　England；　and　of　the　middle　colonies　as　well；　had　been　due　to　the　carrying　trade。　It　would　seem　therefore　as　if　a　primary　need　of　the　American　people　immediately　after　the　Revolution　was　to　get　access　to　their　old　markets　and　to　carry　the　goods　as　much　as　possible　in　their　own　vessels。　In　some　directions　they　were　successful。　One　of　the　products　in　greatest　demand　was　fish。　The　fishing　industry　had　been　almost　annihilated　by　the　war；　but　with　the　establishment　of　peace　the　New　England　fisheries　began　to　recover。　They　were　in　competition　with　the　fishermen　of　France　and　England　who　were　aided　by　large　bounties；　yet　the　superior　geographical　advantages　which　the　American　fishermen　possessed　enabled　them　to　maintain　and　expand　their　business；　and　the　rehabilitation　of　the　fishing　fleet　was　an　important　feature　of　their　programme。　In　other　directions　they　were　not　so　successful。　The　British　still　believed　in　their　colonial　system　and　applied　its　principles　without　regard　to　the　interests　of　the　United　States。　Such　American　products　as　they　wanted　they　allowed　to　be　carried　to　British　markets；　but　in　British　vessels。　Certain　commodities；　the　production　of　which　they　wished　to　encourage　within　their　own　dominions；　they　added　to　the　prohibited　list。　Americans　cried　out　indignantly　that　this　was　an　attempt　on　the　part　of　the　British　to　punish　their　former　colonies　for　their　temerity　in　revolting。　The　British　Government　may　well　have　derived　some　satisfaction　from　the　fact　that　certain　restrictions　bore　heavily　upon　New　England；　as　John　Adams　complained；　but　it　would　seem　to　be　much　nearer　the　truth　to　say　that　in　a　truly　characteristic　way　the　British　were　phlegmatically　attending　to　their　own　interests　and　calmly　ignoring　the　United　States；　and　that　there　was　little　malice　in　their　policy。　European　nations　had　regarded　American　trade　as　a　profitable　field　of　enterprise　and　as　probably　responsible　for　much　of　Great　Britain's　prosperity。　It　was　therefore　a　relatively　easy　matter　for　the　United　States　to　enter　into　commercial　treaties　with　foreign　countries。　These　treaties；　however；　were　not　fruitful　of　any　great　result；　for；　〃with　unimportant　exceptions；　they　left　still　in　force　the　high　import　duties　and　prohibitions　that　marked　the　European　tariffs　of　the　time；　as　well　as　many　features　of　the　old　colonial　system。　They　were　designed　to　legalize　commerce　rather　than　to　encourage　it。〃*　Still；　for　a　year　or　more　after　the　war　the　demand　for　American　products　was　great　enough　to　satisfy　almost　everybody。　But　in　1784　France　and　Spain　closed　their　colonial　ports　and　thus　excluded　the　shipping　of　the　United　States。　This　proved　to　be　so　disastrous　for　their　colonies　that　the　French　Government　soon　was　forced　to　relax　its　restrictions。　The　British　also　made　some　concessions；　and　where　their　orders　were　not　modified　they　were　evaded。　And　so；　in　the　course　of　a　few　years；　the　West　India　trade　recovered。　*　Clive　Day；　〃Encyclopedia　of　American　Government；〃　Vol。　I；　p。　340。
  More　astonishing　to　the　men　of　that　time　than　it　is　to　us　was　the　fact　that　American　foreign　trade　fell　under　British　commercial　control　again。　Whether　it　was　that　British　merchants　were　accustomed　to　American　ways　of　doing　things　and　knew　American　business　conditions；　whether　other　countries　found　the　commerce　not　as　profitable　as　they　had　expected；　as　certainly　was　the　case　with　France；　whether　〃American　merchants　and　sea　captains　found　themselves　under　disadvantages　due　to　the　absence　of　treaty　protection　which　they　had　enjoyed　as　English　subjects〃；*　or　whether　it　was　the　necessity　of　trading　on　British　capitalwhatever　the　cause　may　have　beenwithin　a　comparatively　few　years　a　large　part　of　American　trade　was　in　British　hands　as　it　had　been　before　the　Revolution。　American　trade　with　Europe　was　carried　on　through　English　merchants　very　much　as　the　Navigation　Acts　had　prescribed。　*　C。　R。　Fish；　〃American　Diplomacy；〃　pp。　56…57。
  From　the　very　first　settlement　of　the　American　continent　the　colonists　had　exhibited　one　of　the　earliest　and　most　lasting　characteristics　of　the　American　people　adaptability。　The　Americans　now　proceeded　to　manifest　that　trait　anew；　not　only　by　adjusting　themselves　to　renewed　commercial　dependence　upon　Great　Britain；　but　by　seeking　new　avenues　of　trade。　A　striking　illustration　of　this　is　to　be　found　in　the　development　of　trade　with　the　Far　East。　Captain　Cook's　voyage　around　the　world　（1768…　1771）；　an　account　of　which　was　first　published　in　London　in　1773；　attracted　a　great　deal　of　attention　in　America；　an　edition　of　the　New　Voyage　was　issued　in　New　York　in　1774。　No　sooner　was　the　Revolution　over　than　there　began　that　romantic　trade　with　China　and　the　northwest　coast　of　America；　which　made　the　fortunes　of　some　families　of　Salem　and　Boston　and　Philadelphia。　This　commerce　added　to　the　prosperity　of　the　country；　but　above　all　it　stimulated　the　imagination　of　Americans。　In　the　same　way　another　outlet　was　found　in　trade　with　Russia　by　way　of　the　Baltic。　The　foreign　trade　of　the　United　States　after　the　Revolution　thus　passed　through　certain　well…marked　phases。　First　there　was　a　short　period　of　prosperity；　owing　to　an　unusual　demand　for　American　products；　this　was　followed　by　a　longer　period　of　depression；　and　then　came　a　gradual　recovery　through　acceptance　of　the　new　conditions　and　adjustment　to　them。　A　similar　cycle　may　be　traced　in　the　domestic　or　internal　trade。　In　early　days　intercolonial　commerce　had　been　carried　on　mostly　by　water；　and　when　war　interfered　commerce　almost　ceased　for　want　of　roads。　The　loss　of　ocean　highways；　however；　stimulated　road　building　and　led　to　what　might　be　regarded　as　the　first　〃good…roads　movement〃　of　the　new　nation；　except　that　to　our　eyes　it　would　be　a　misuse　of　the　word　to　call　any　of　those　roads　good。　But　anything　which　would　improve　the　means　of　transportation　took　on　a　patriotic　tinge；　and　the　building　of　roads　and　the　cutting　of　canals　were　agitated　until　turnpike　and　canal　companies　became　a　favorite　form　of　investment；　and　in　a　few　years　the　interstate　land　trade　had　grown　to　considerable　importance。　But　in　the　meantime；　water　transportation　was　the　main　reliance；　and　with　the　end　of　the　war　the　coastwise　trade　had　been　promptly　resumed。　For　a　time　it　prospered；　but　the　States；　affected　by　the　general　economic　conditions　and　by　jealousy；　tried　to　interfere　with　and　divert　the　trade　of　others　to　their　own　advantage。　This　was　done　by　imposing　fees　and　charges　and　duties；　not　merely　upon　goods　and　vessels　from　abroad　but　upon　those　of　their　fellow　States。　James　Madison　described　the　situation　in　the　words　so　often　quoted：　〃Some　of　the　States；　。　。　。　having　no　convenient　ports　for　foreign　commerce；　were　subject　to　be　taxed　by　their　neighbors；　thro　whose　ports；　their　commerce　was　carryed　on。　New　Jersey；　placed　between　Phila。　&　N。　York；　was　likened　to　a　Cask　tapped　at　both　ends：　and　N。　Carolina　between　Virga。　&　S。　Carolina　to　a　patient　bleeding　at　both　Arms。〃*　*　〃Records　of　the　Federal　Convention；〃　vol。　III；　p。　542