ABSTRACT
If the colonial ports played an important role as cradles of freedom, the limited extent of their influence became apparent during the Revolution and continued into the early decades of Independence. Trade everywhere was disrupted, but many of the refugees found useful jobs in other towns. The achievement of independence brought varied fortunes to the different ports. The location of Washington, as the new capital was named, on an undeveloped site had several important consequences for America’s urban developments. Historians, political scientists, and other commentators have traditionally stressed the contributions of the states in the formation of the federal union. Thus the wide diffusion of urban centres reinforced the basic federal checks and balances, strengthened the inter-state trade and cultural bonds, and fostered the development of an autonomous national society.
