Liberal Kentucky, 1780-1828

AT THE close of the War of 1812 a new interest in Transylvania University appeared. There were several reasons for this, in addition to the desire to maintain freedom for liberal religious opinions. In the first place, the town of Lexington had lost its chief source of income, its privileged commercial position.¹ The stimulating influence of the war, and the development of the steamboat, which made upstream traffic practicable, had made the Ohio and the Mississippi the main arteries of Middle-Western transportation, and had thus given commercial supremacy to the river cities, Louisville and Cincinnati. Furthermore, the Northwest Territory was now being rapidly settled, and Ohio was replacing Kentucky as the center of population. Lexington's position as the center of trade had indeed been quite artificial, being due to historical accident, rather than to the operation of permanent economic forces. Many of her large commercial houses now failed, and others continued on a much contracted scale of operations. The peculiar economic troubles of Lexington were much intensified by the general depression which soon overtook the state and the nation.

Farsighted and intelligent citizens saw in the University

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