Social Change in America: From the Revolution to the Civil War

by Christopher Clark

Overview

The processes of social change in the late colonial period and early years of the new Republic made a dramatic imprint on the character of American society. These changes over a century or more were rooted in the origins of the United States, its rapid expansion of people and territory, its patterns of economic change and development, and the conflicts that led to its cataclysmic division and reunification through the Civil War. Christopher Clark's brilliant account of these changes in the social relationships of Americans breaks new ground in its emphasis on the connections between the crucial importance of free and unfree labor, regional characteristics, and the sustained tension between arguments for geographic expansion versus economic development. Mr. Clark traces the significance of families and households throughout the period, showing how work and different kinds of labor produced a varied access to power and wealth among free and unfree, male and female, and how the character of social elites was confronted by democratic pressures. He shows how the features of the different regions exercised long-term influences in American society and politics and were modified by pressures for change. And he explains how the widening gap between the claims of free labor and those of slavery fueled the continuing dispute over the best economic course for the nation's future and led ultimately to the Civil War. Like other long-running divisions in American society, however, this dispute was not fully resolved by the war's outcome. Social Change in America is a compelling new overview of the social dynamics of America's early years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781566637541
Publisher:	Dee, Ivan R. Publisher
Publication date:	09/06/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.58(w) x 8.71(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Christopher Clark is professor of history at the University of Connecticut and author of The Communitarian Movement and The Roots of Rural Capitalism. Born in England, he studied at the University of Warwick and did his graduate work at Harvard University. He has received the Frederick Jackson Turner Award of the Organization of American Historians. He lives in Storrs, Connecticut.

Table of Contents

Preface     ix
Acknowledgments     xiii
Households and Regions at the End of the Colonial Period     3
Change and Continuity in the American Revolution     37
Social Change in the Early Republic     79
Two Directions for Labor     122
Crisis and Expansion     169
From Regional Differences to Sectional Divide     207
The Civil War: Two Kinds of Revolution     249
Notes     297
A Note on Sources and Further Reading     321
Index     341

What People are Saying About This

Jonathan Prude

This is an intelligent and extraordinarily useful volume. Dense with information and insight . . . a thoroughly rewarding read.

David W. Blight

"Beautifully written."
—Yale University

Alan Taylor

In this concise and lucid book, Christopher Clark clearly and insightfully explores a sweeping transformation of American society.

Paul G.E. Clemens

"A compelling synthesis of American social history...Clark's narrative captures brilliantly and clearly the way [of] the American Revolution."
—Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Don H. Doyle

"At last we have a book that interprets the broad sweep of social change in America."
—McCausland Professor of History, University of South Carolina

Editorial Reviews

A compelling synthesis of American social history...Clark's narrative captures brilliantly and clearly the way [of] the American Revolution.

Paul G. E. Clemens

Deeply researched. .. unassailable.

Reviews in American History - Harry Watson

At last we have a book that interprets the broad sweep of social change in America.

Don H. Doyle

This is an intelligent and extraordinarily useful volume. Dense with information and insight. .. a thoroughly rewarding read.

Jonathan Prude

In this concise and lucid book, Christopher Clark clearly and insightfully explores a sweeping transformation of American society.

Alan Taylor

Beautifully written.

David W. Blight

No programme for a course on American history for this period should do without listing this book.

Journal of American Studies

Deft, fast-paced, and sweeping survey of the major changes in the American economy and social structure during the antebellum years.

Journal of Southern History

For the discerning reader, Clark presents ideas that provoke deeper thought.

The Historian

Drawing richly on recent literature, Clark weaves extensive data into a broad and readable summary of current academic concerns and conclusions.

Journal of Social History - David Grimsted

Offers something different—the opportunity to survey changes and their lasting, far-reaching impact on American society.. .. A fundamental coverage.

California Bookwatch

Deft, fast-paced, and sweeping survey of the major changes in the American economy and social structure during the antebellum years.

The Journal of Southern History

No programme for a course on American history for this period should do without listing this book.

Journal Of American Studies

Deft, fast-paced, and sweeping survey of the major changes in the American economy and social structure during the antebellum years.

The Journal Of Southern History

Deeply researched . . . unassailable.
— Harry Watson

Reviews In American History

Deft, fast-paced, and sweeping survey of the major changes in the American economy and social structure during the antebellum years.

Journal Of Southern History

Drawing richly on recent literature, Clark weaves extensive data into a broad and readable summary of current academic concerns and conclusions.
— David Grimsted

Journal Of Social History

Beautifully written.
— David W. Blight

Yale University

Drawing richly on recent literature, Clark weaves extensive data into a broad and readable summary of current academic concerns.
— David Grimsted

Journal of Social History

For the discerning reader, Clark presents ideas that provoke deeper thought.

Historian