Introduction
The market revolution and growth in America dates back from the 16th century during the slave trade. During this era, slaves were transported from Africa to labor in America. It is as well the period when the British fought for supremacy against the Napoleonic French. Americans economy grew rapidly due to economic unsteadiness of both the British and French. This was accelerated owing to its neutrality and through this; they would supply foodstuffs and other commodities to Britain, France and the outside countries at large. However, America’s economic success never came in a day. They had major problems in their economic record during market revolution.
Discussion
From the two books on the American market revolution, there are similarities and differences portrayed by both Nancy F. Cott and Charles Seller. The similarities enlisted by the two authors are; Most of the tedious work was done by women, children, widows and families with no other means of support. They had to work for so little compared to males. For instance, women, girls and children had domestic chores to attend to, needlework, spinning at home, school teaching and give-out jobs from industries. Girls had to complement the family’s earnings by working.
The period in between 1793-1815, was a time of economic boost. This is true according to Nancy that merchant capitalization flourished during the enormous expansion of New England’s carrying out trade and re-export business in 1793-1807. This was due to uncertainty of European shipping during the British struggle for supremacy against the Napoleonic France. Owing to this warfare, the British and French economies were adversely affected and both of them turned to America for foodstuffs and American ship owners to carry trade particularly with their West Indian possessions. The American shipping enjoyed impartiality since it could carry goods without molestation from either of them. This led to forthcoming of economic activities such as building, warehousing, banking, complementary business brokerage and marine insurance. Seller noted that the economy grew due to merchant capital and government-fostered transport that pushed for a boost in labor division in totality through close supervision and wage system and job specialization mainly in production of agricultural and extractive commodities.
Job specialization was common in both. Nancy noted that craftsmen became a larger and specialized unit of production rather than production and retail. The master craftsmen became the ‘boss’. After the elapse of industrial manufacture, craftsmen distributed materials to individuals to work at their homes at piece rates, collected finished goods and sold them. This was the period of functional specialization in division of labor. Other new professionals appeared in fields from insurance banking to transportation. According to Seller, trade and specialization were among the four ports or hinterland regions creating an integral sectional market. As a result, commercial agriculture spread all over the west and south. These sectors were later incorporated into national market. During the Napoleonic hostilities, there was an increase in profits in the American port populations. This led to specialized economic activities such as exportation of processed wheat flour, development of more specialized marketing systems around brokers, auctioneers, wholesalers and commission merchants and sprouting of port cities, new banks and marine insurance companies.
Growth in shipping industry had positive effects. For example according to Nancy, shipping industry led to growth of economic activities such as trade and re-export commerce, shipbuilding and corresponding businesses such as brokerage, marine insurance, warehousing and banking. This is also depicted in sellers’ work. Torrent of profits swelled, growth of port cities, new banks and marine insurance companies.
There existed diverse social classes. According to Nancy, work was put out into labor contractors leading to overcrowding of workers under strict supervision. There existed wealth disparities between the wealthy class of people and the common people mainly the women and children. The same phenomenon is also noted by Seller. There existed wealthy men, merchants, lawyers and clergy were as referred to as ‘Mr.’ The gap in wealth between the master and the journeyman expanded. Urban wealth concentrated on the hands of the successful.
Nevertheless, these two books had notable differences. Nancy focuses much on how women and children concentrated much with domestic work and how they combined several jobs in shifts to supplement family earnings while Seller draws the attention of how people acquired skills mainly through apprenticeship. A journeyman had to be employed by a master to get the skills.
Competition was embraced as a measure of success or failure. This led to large scale production to counter enormous demand that promised high returns to capital and entrepreneurship. The company provided basic needs to the hired families who in turn provided cheap labor to the company on contract basis for a period of at least a year as per Seller’s work while in Nancy’s work; the source of labor was from women and children who worked in different areas to supplement the earning of the family. They worked in shifts and none of there jobs lasted a year.
Conclusion
Although the American economy was stable, there were many chronological problems. Women and children suffered due to low wages, overworked for long hours and denied access to education and religion for they considered as having young minds.
Work Cited
Nancy F. Coot. The Market Revolution and the Changes in Woman’s Work. New York. Yale University press, 1999.
Charles Sellers. The Market Revolution and Growth in Economic Inequality.New York. Oxford University press, 1994.