the roots of rural captialism chris clark

A detailed Summary of the roots of rural captialism chris clark

Christopher Clark's, The Roots of Rural Capitalism focuses on the Connecticut River Valley in Western Massachusetts between the American Revolution and the Civil War. Clark's study of the economy of the Connecticut River Valley traces the move from an economy based on household subsistence to one of wage labor and commercial industry. Clark argues that the society did not change because of any particular underlying reason, but because of changes in the Valley. He notes that many of cause were related to land shortage, the makeup of the people and the household and the growth of an economy.

According to Clark, between the 1780's and 1820's, farmers and workers produced agriculture, which varied to meet the needs of their household. In the beginning, the society was mainly built on self-sufficiency, which that farmers traded what they had left to market only after they took care of the needs of their family. Essentially, there was not a great variance in the distribution of wealth and power. The economy at that time was weak because of lack of a cash crop. Until the Revolutionary War, wheat served as the cash crop but then suffered as prices fell. As time went on, the economy tightened and families had to take up other means o

After 1830, merchants also made getting credit much stricter, kept much better credit and accounting records as well as charging interest. Also, rising prices and a cash economy forced many farmers into debt and forced them to sell off their property or have it foreclosed. This led many of the farmers to become activists in their community and fight against the movement of capitalism. Some turned to the Anti-Masons and the Working Men's party that acted as advocates for small producers and landowners. In addition, growth nationally especially to the West added discontent and anger. In essence, the growth of capitalism and the institution of a corporate entity were the symbols of a decaying society and the household. The impact of these movements and the anger provided from it led to social reform from both the government and the workers themselves. This also led to thoughts of the right to "free labor" and arguments against slavery and worker abuse.

From 1830 to the Civil War, Clark asserts that merchants and manufacturers invested profits from trade and retail sales to factories and new machines. In that period, tobacco became the new cash crop for farmers and they too invested their money to wage labor rather than using family members. By 1860, the Valley resembled most areas of the East and had the same attributes concerning the division of wealth. The change happened not only because of economics, but also because of cultural factors and ideological changes.

The argument he makes is very complicated and I myself did not understand some of the points he was trying to make. I also like how he drove the point home that capitalism did not affect everyone else the same and it was different wherever it happened. All in all, it seems that the people of the Valley accepted capitalis

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Approximate Word count = 1210
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History