The Market Revolution in America: Liberty, Ambition, and the Eclipse of the Common Good (Cambridge Essential Histories)

The mass industrial democracy that is the modern United States bears little resemblance to the simple agrarian republic that gave it birth. The market revolution is the reason for this dramatic - and ironic - metamorphosis. The resulting tangled frameworks of democracy and capitalism still dominate the world as it responds to the panic of 2008. Early Americans experienced what we now call "modernization". The exhilaration - and pain - they endured have been repeated in nearly every part of the globe. Born of freedom and ambition, the market revolution in America fed on democracy and individualism even while it generated inequality, dependency, and unimagined wealth and power. In this 2009 book, John Lauritz Larson explores the lure of market capitalism and the beginnings of industrialization in the United States. His research combines an appreciation for enterprise and innovation with recognition of negative and unanticipated consequences of the transition to capitalism and relates economic change directly to American freedom and self-determination, links that remain entirely relevant today. • A coherent overview of a complicated story • Ideal for students of American history and American politics • Accessible to non-specialists Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Acknowledgments......Page 13 Introduction: What Do We Mean by a Market Revolution in America?......Page 17 ATLANTIC NETWORKS......Page 18 ROOTS OF REBELLION......Page 22 SEARCH FOR THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM......Page 24 1 First Fruits of Independence......Page 28 ESTABLISHING VIABLE GOVERNMENT......Page 31 NEO-MERCANTILIST POLICY BEGINNINGS......Page 33 LIBERALISM EMERGES......Page 39 THE WIDER WORLD......Page 50 Interlude: Panic! 1819......Page 55 THE RISE OF NEW YORK PORT......Page 62 SCRAMBLING TO COMPETE......Page 68 LEARNING TO DEAL WITH STRANGERS......Page 73 A THOUSAND CLEVER INNOVATIONS......Page 77 LINKAGES AND SYSTEMS......Page 87 FACTORIES IN THE FIELDS......Page 92 THE FLOW OF INFORMATION......Page 95 THE STEALTH ADVANCE OF PROGRESS......Page 102 Interlude: Panic! 1837......Page 108 3 Heartless Markets, Heartless Men......Page 114 FARMERS......Page 115 ARTISANS......Page 120 FACTORY WORKERS......Page 128 WOMEN......Page 132 PERSONS AT THE MARGINS......Page 136 SOUTHERN VARIATIONS......Page 143 THE ENTREPRENEURS......Page 150 4 How Can We Explain It?......Page 157 THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS......Page 158 ANTEBELLUM AMERICAN VOICES......Page 162 REVISIONISTS AT PLAY......Page 169 NOTHING BUT FREEDOM......Page 178 Epilogue: Panic! 2008: Deja vu All over Again......Page 185 An Essay on the Sources......Page 202 Index......Page 217

The mass industrial democracy that is the modern United States bears little resemblance to the simple agrarian republic that gave it birth. The market revolution is the reason for this dramatic - and ironic - metamorphosis. The resulting tangled frameworks of democracy and capitalism still dominate the world as it responds to the Panic of 2008. Early Americans experienced what we now call "modernization." The exhilaration - and pain - they endured have been repeated in nearly every part of the globe. Born of freedom and ambition, the market revolution in America fed on democracy and individualism even while it generated inequality, dependency, and unimagined wealth and power. John Lauritz Larson explores the lure of market capitalism and the beginnings of industrialization in the United States. His research combines an appreciation for enterprise and innovation with recognition of negative and unanticipated consequences of the transition to capitalism and relates economic change directly to American freedom and self-determination, links that remain entirely relevant today.

The mass industrial democracy that is the modern United States bears little resemblance to the simple agrarian republic that gave it birth. The market revolution is the reason for this dramatic metamorphosis. The resulting tangled frameworks of democracy and capitalism still dominate the world as it responds to the panic of 2008. Early Americans experienced what we now call 'modernization'. The exhilaration--and pain--they endured have been repeated in nearly every part of the globe. Born of freedom and ambition, the market revolution in America fed on democracy and individualism even while it generated inequality, dependency, and unimagined wealth and power. This book explores the lure of market capitalism and the beginnings of industrialization in the United States. It combines an appreciation for enterprise and innovation with recognition of negative and unanticipated consequences of the transition to capitalism and relates economic change directly to American freedom and self-determination This book explores the lure of market capitalism and the beginnings of industrialization in the United States. Lawson's research combines an appreciation for enterprise and innovation with recognition of negative and unanticipated consequences of the transition to capitalism and relates economic change to American freedom and self-determination, links that remain relevant today. John Lauritz Larson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.