Free Ships: The Restoration of the American Carrying Trade

In Short

This polemical work is a forceful argument for the repeal of the United States navigation laws that prohibit American citizens from purchasing foreign-built ships. Written during the late 19th century, the book critiques the protectionist policies that favored a small group of domestic shipbuilders at the expense of the entire national carrying trade. It serves as a historical document of the transition from wooden sailing vessels to iron steamships, capturing the urgent, frustrated voice of an observer witnessing the steady erosion of American maritime supremacy in the face of global competition.

The Story

The narrative begins with a sharp critique of post-Civil War legislative incompetence. The author contends that when Congress sought to address the decline of American shipping in 1869, it failed miserably by appointing a committee that prioritized the interests of shipbuilders over the broader needs of the nation. The author argues that this committee erroneously blamed the decline on Confederate cruisers, ignoring the reality that the world had moved on to a new era of iron steamships. Because domestic shipyards could not produce these advanced vessels as cheaply or efficiently as those in Great Britain, the American carrying trade began to wither.

The core of the argument is that ships are merely the "tools of commerce." By restricting Americans to using only domestic tools—which were often technologically inferior and prohibitively expensive—the government effectively forced American merchants into obsolescence. While Great Britain adopted a pragmatic approach by allowing its shipowners to purchase the best vessels wherever they could be found, the United States clung to a "Sindbad of prohibition." This led to a humiliating situation where Americans were forced to pay foreigners to transport their own goods, while domestic shipyards, protected by tariffs, failed to innovate or compete on a global scale.

As the story of the decline unfolds, the author shifts focus to the economic reality of labor costs. Through a comparative analysis of wages between the Clyde in Scotland and the shipyards of the Delaware, the book demonstrates that the price of labor in the United States made it impossible for domestic builders to compete without subsidies. These subsidies, however, are presented as a form of state-sponsored plunder, benefiting a few powerful figures—notably the industrialist John Roach—while placing an undue burden on the taxpaying public.

The arc reaches its conclusion with a plea for economic liberalism. The author rejects the idea that protectionism guards against "pauper labor," arguing instead that it merely ensures national stagnation. The final chapters offer a prophetic warning: if the United States continues to maintain its restrictive policies, it will remain an isolated observer of international commerce. The book ends with a parable of "The Three Ferries," illustrating how other nations thrived by embracing the best available technology while America, shackled by its own laws, was left to rot at its docks, unable to participate in the global exchange of goods.

How It Unfolds

The legislative failure The author opens by lambasting the 1869 Congressional committee for mistaking the "carrying trade" for "commerce." He exposes the absurdity of their report, which sought to enrich shipbuilders through national charity rather than addressing the actual market forces causing the decline of the merchant marine.

The technological shift The narrative moves to the revolution of steam and iron, explaining why wooden sailing ships became relics. The author details how England’s abandonment of restrictive laws allowed her shipowners to thrive, while American owners were left with outdated, inefficient vessels.

The comparison of labor The book shifts to a quantitative analysis, contrasting the labor rates of the Clyde shipyards with those in New York and the Delaware region. By presenting these figures in a table, the author proves that the high cost of American labor renders domestic shipbuilding uncompetitive without massive, unfair government intervention.

The critique of special interests The argument narrows to the influence of specific individuals, particularly the shipbuilder John Roach, who lobbied Congress for subsidies. The author portrays these efforts as a manipulation of the political process that sacrificed the interests of the entire nation for the gain of a few.

The final appeal The book concludes by proposing a clear legislative path: repeal the navigation laws to allow the purchase of foreign ships. The author uses a final, simple parable to show that true prosperity comes from using the best tools available, not from artificial protections that stifle progress.

The People

The book is driven less by individual characters than by conflicting economic philosophies, yet a few figures loom large.

John Codman, the author, acts as the persistent, often indignant voice of the merchant class. He views himself as a patriot whose desire to see the American flag on the high seas compels him to speak harsh truths about his country's failures. He is knowledgeable, meticulous with figures, and deeply frustrated by the "antediluvian" mindset of his contemporaries.

Mr. John Lynch, the representative from Maine, represents the institutional ignorance of Congress. For Codman, Lynch is the embodiment of a government that prefers investigation-as-theatre to actual policy reform, failing to distinguish between the needs of the shipbuilder and the needs of the broader economy.

Mr. John Roach serves as the central antagonist of the book’s economic thesis. As an influential iron shipbuilder, he is the beneficiary of the very protectionist policies Codman despises. Despite being a personal friend of the author, Roach is depicted as a powerful lobbyist whose "persuasive blarney" has convinced lawmakers that the protection of his specific business is synonymous with the protection of American industry.

The British Parliament stands as the foil to the American Congress. Represented as a rational, pragmatic body, its decision to prioritize the "greatest good of the greatest number" by allowing the purchase of foreign ships highlights, in Codman’s view, the absolute failure of American leadership.

In Its Own Voice

"It may seem surprising that an American House of Representatives should have been so ignorant of the meaning of a common word as to apply the term 'commerce' to the carrying trade."

This critique of Congressional language highlights the author's frustration with the legislative misunderstanding of economic terms.

"In face of the prosperity achieved in consequences of the abandonment of a ruinous system by other nations, in face of the lamentable decadence its maintenance has brought upon ourselves, we still persist in packing this Sindbad of prohibition, the worst offspring of protection, upon our back."

This passage captures the author’s central argument that protectionism is an albatross destroying the American shipping industry.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is a study of the conflict between economic protectionism and the realities of global industrialization. It questions the extent to which a nation should sacrifice its overall economic vitality to sustain a specific, domestic industry. Codman challenges the reader to consider whether the flag flying over a ship matters more than the efficiency of the vessel itself. Underlying the arguments is a deeper question of national identity in a modernizing world: Is America better served by an isolationist "Chinese wall" of tariffs, or by embracing a system of global reciprocity? The book argues that prosperity is found in exchange, not in the artificial suppression of competition.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in economic history or the mechanics of trade will find this book particularly illuminating. It offers a front-row seat to the ideological battles of the late 19th century, written by a man who possessed deep, practical knowledge of the maritime industry. The prose is sharp, opinionated, and highly readable, though the modern reader should be prepared for the specific context of 1870s political jargon and the author’s unapologetic, often combative stance.

The experience of reading this work is much like listening to a seasoned, slightly grumpy expert explain exactly why a system is broken. You will likely feel the author’s frustration with the slow pace of government and his genuine sorrow for the decline of a once-proud American tradition. The book’s relevance endures because the fundamental questions it raises—about the ethics of subsidies, the impact of protectionism, and the nature of global competition—remain central to the way we debate economic policy today. While the specific industry of iron shipbuilding has long since evolved, the tension between local protection and global efficiency, which Codman describes so vividly, remains as persistent and unresolved as ever.