The Memphis Convention of 1845 in the USA as an Attempt of Economic Unification of the Country

Abstract

The article is devoted to the Memphis Convention, held in 1845 in Memphis, Tennessee. The first half of the 19th century before the American Civil War was a time of economic development known as the industrial revolution, which led to the formation of three sections of the South, North and West. There were differences between these regions, and by the 1840s, the South was already lagging behind the northern states in industrial development. Some southern politicians and planters understood the need to develop industry, infrastructure, and economical unite with the western and northeastern states. The West also needed better access to the northeastern states. To achieve these goals, the Convention was organized in Memphis in 1845. It addressed issues of internal improvement, the construction of railways, the improvement of the navigation of the Mississippi River basin, the creation of a military steam fleet, the construction of lighthouses along the seashore, etc. The resolutions of the convention were presented to the US Congress, but were rejected at that time. The Mexican-American War of 1846–1848, which resulted in the United States ceding vast territories southwest of the border, distracted American politicians from the issue of economic unification and brought to the fore the question of which states would be formed in the new territories – free or slave ones.