Cultural Change and the Market Revolution in America, 1789-1860

Although the political and economic impacts of America's market revolution are well-defined, little attention has been paid to the changes it wrought in America's social and cultural fabric. In this exciting new work, Scott C. Martin brings together cutting-edge scholarship and articles from diverse sources to explore the cultural dimensions of the market revolution in America. The essays probe how Americans' participation in widening financial networks, exposure to an ever-increasing array of consumer goods, and struggles against unfamiliar economic forces influenced family life, class formation, gender roles, ethnic and racial identification, and social interaction. The contributors also investigate how the cultural values and social practices with which Americans responded to economic change shaped the evolution of the market. By reflecting on the reciprocal relationship between cultural and economic change, Cultural Change and the Market Revolution in America, 1789-1860 deepens our understanding of American society during the turbulent early nineteenth century.