How New York Got Rich (It wasn’t Wall Street)

Do you know how far ahead of Boston New York actually was in 1821? Have you ever wondered how a state law about auctions did more for the place than the harbour did? Do you know what it cost to move a ton of goods from Buffalo to New York City before the canal, and what it cost after? Ever wondered why Pennsylvania spent twelve million dollars copying the idea and still lost? And does it change how you see Wall Street to find out it turned up after all of it?

This is how New York actually got rich, and why the three decisions nobody mentions mattered as much as the canal everybody does.