Welcome to our History of American Colonial Economic Development.
We open with our choice for America’s Founding Father of Economic Development. Washington was an economic developer all his adult life. He represents colonial Virginia’s approach to economic development–and he carried it over to his ED policy as our First President. It will be no surprise this first chapter–and the last– will focus on Washington and present our case he is the Founding Father of American Economic Development.
Washington’s economic development story is told out of sequence to the rest of our history. That puts an added burden on our Washington story as it will be necessary to include in it our intro to the history itself, and we will use this chapter to introduce key concepts, ED strategies, programs and tools that are essential to our approach. The reader should understand that Washington is a pioneer in economic development–a background that has received indifferent comment by historians.
In the chapters to follow we examine three colonial British provinces, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, and then the Articles of Confederation, and conclude with Washington and Adams Federalist Party administrations in our new American Republic: the Early Republic. These chapters are the heart and soul of our bottom-up, policy-making approach to American state and local economic development.
Washington’s ED story is told in the below sequential modules. Click the one you want and settle down to an interesting read about a George Washington most Americans are not familiar.
George Washington as Economic Developer
1. First in American Economic Development
Our first module presents Washington approach to American economic development, impressing upon the reader his formulation of a state and national comprehensive ED strategy-nexus. We will see the origin of this strategy resulted from his Virginia-based ED efforts. That strategy in 1785 morphed into a national strategy that became the midwife of the 1789 Constitution. His service as President transformed his strategy into a national paradigm that endured throughout the 19th century.
2. Post War Washington in Transition to Full time Economic Developer
At war’s end, 1783 Washington was not the same as the 1774 Washington. The “New George” has to decide what his new life will be. His first experiment is to cross upper New York, to Buffalo area along the Mohawk River. He has a reason for doing this. Then with Martha he heads back to Mount Vernon for his return to plantation normalcy. That doesn’t work out. Instead he develops a new mission in life: to forge an economic development paradigm for his New Republic.
5. 0 Washington as Economic Development Project Manager and CEO of an EDO
Nothing better qualifies Washington as a real economic developer than his stint as the CEO of an EDO, and its chief Project Manager. Washington guided legislation through the Virginia legislature, and with Jefferson tried to coordinate with the Articles Legislature on the powers of the Corporation. That failing, a sequence of events led to the Annapolis Conference, which called for the Constitutional Convention. In the meantime, Washington functioned as the Chief Project Manager for the canal (the day to day left to James Rumsey)–focusing on the placement of locks. He was its chief fundraiser also. He continued on these roles until he departed for Philadelphia as our First President–a stint of about four years.
3. Like Hannibal Crossing the Alps, Washington Crosses the Appalachians
George’s new mission in life is two-fold: make money and find a way to implement his new paradigm. They both involve an extended trip across the Appalachians into the hinterland interior. Along the way, he meets Scots Irish squatting on his land–that was not pleasant. Then he finds a path across the Appalachians for a canal–what will become his Patowmack Project, the core of his paradigm. .
4.0 Canal-Building is More than Digging a Ditch
It involves Innovation, Technology, and working with creative entrepreneurs. Washington’s canal meant required a steam engine and a steam boat. The best beer Washingt0n ever drank? Washington as a Venture Capitalist. James Rumsey, John Fitch, James Watt, and Benjamin Franklin. Robert Fulton spends a weekend at Mount Vernon. The Patent Battle and Steamboat Race that found their way into the 1787 American Constitution.
In this module, we complete our picture of Washington as as economic developer and our candidate for Founding Father of American ED. We formally introduce his Western Trans-Appalachian Settlement Nexus, his canal-building transportation infrastructure, which linked the interior to a new port, an export center for the nation’s interior and Virginia’s port to the world. All of these elements were tied together by defense of the new republic from European incursions by settling the new nation’s interior before they could–and using the hinterland economic base as the power behind the rise of American agriculture and industry. He antedated the more famous and acknowledged Henry Clay by forty years or more.
Ron W. Coan 