altimore had arrived at its tipping point; the ingredients
for economic growth were assembled. All that was needed
was a catalyst, a pull on the trigger that the opening shots of
America’s Revolutionary War provided.
Any show of force against the British navy would have to be
shouldered by themenwith themoney, America’smerchant princes.
Syndicates of Baltimore businessmen financed the construction of
250 armed ships called privateers. Fast, predatory and privately
owned privateers carried “letters of marque and reprisal,” papers
signed by government officials authorizing the vessels to conduct
military operations on behalf of the United States, including the
capture of enemy merchant ships. Privateers worked on a “no
prey, no pay” basis; the spoils of war were split among ship owners,
captain and crew.
Baltimore delivered the first two seagoing vessels to America’s
infant navy, the
Wasp
and the
Hornet
, cruisers whose very names
suggest the sting-and-disable strategy used to deflate the firepower
of larger British frigates. The first U.S. frigate, the 28-gun
Virginia
,
was built in Fell’s Point.
Patriotism proved profitable for the Port. For starters, it
eliminated, in word if not deed, restrictions Britain had imposed
on Colonial maritime commerce — although Britain continued
to menace sea lanes in the North Atlantic, the West Indies and
elsewhere, and commandeered Baltimore ships until 1815.
Secondly, because the British never blockaded the Port, much
of the Annapolis trade was permanently diverted into Baltimore,
clearing the way for Baltimore to become Maryland’s pre-eminent
maritime center. Thirdly, Baltimore’s reputation as a shipbuilding
center was enhanced by the performance of its ships and sailors,
which in turn generated new business orders. Lastly, maritime
industries which sprang up during the war — such as Baltimore’s
first rope walk in Fell’s Point, a distinctively long and slender
building used to manually twist and bind separate strands to create
rope for rigging for privateers — were up and running. Removal of
Colonial restrictions on manufacturing was good news for Mary-
land industry, which diversified to expand the Port’s export base.
Imports increased, too; coffee and tea were stocked at the
Lexington Market, which opened in 1782, soon followed by the
Center Market at Baltimore and Harrison streets, popularly called
Marsh’s Market because it was built on filled-in wetland.
Facing page: Cocoa, used
in products from cosmetics
to candy, is among the
international cargoes handled
by the Port. Above: Baltimor-
eans shopped for produce at
Lexington Market in the early
20th century, top, as well as the
early 21st century, middle, and
made Center Market, bottom,
a stop for fresh goods.
Patriotism Proves Profitable
17
