Economy of Colonial America

¶ … Colonial Merchants and the American Revolution: 1763 to1776 by Arthur M. Schlesinger. (New York: Facsimile Library, Inc., 1939), 647, (381.0973).

This book covers a part of history that is often forgotten - the economic history of the U.S. As it headed into the Revolutionary War. While most people know part of the reason Americans wanted to break from England was outrageous tariffs on imports and exports, the merchants who dealt in these commodities are often forgotten or overlooked. In addition, there were trade sanctions that stated American goods could only be shipped out of England, and this reduced the effectiveness of commerce. This book delves into the reasons the Colonials were angry about the British tariffs and duties, and what they did to overcome fiscal obstacles. Commerce was king in the colonies before the Revolution, and the merchants were not above smuggling to get around the strict British system. The book shows our ancestors to be ingenious traders who hoped to succeed fiscally as well as politically. The author illustrates that Britain did attempt to make concessions to the Colonists, such as repealing the Stamp Act, which worked for a while, but ultimately, the economic policy of Britain and the Colonies did not mesh, and dissatisfaction and war had to be the ultimate result. He also shows that all the merchants from city to city were not in agreement, but they were nearly all dissatisfied with the regulations and tight controls of England, Parliament, and the Board of Trade.

The author's thesis is quite clear. He offers a detailed look inside the commerce and trade of early America, and the motivation of the merchants to continue their profitable ventures without interference from the mother country. The author only covers the period from 1763 to the origins of the Revolution in 1776, yet the book's scope is quite large, and the material covered is extensive. The author clearly researched every facet of the book, as the footnotes and extensive bibliography clearly indicate. The author knows his subject well, and enlightens his audience with his knowledge and clear grasp of the entire project. The author draws several conclusions, including his strongest, that "the mercantile interests became a potent factor in the conservative counterrevolution that led to the establishment of the United States Constitution" (Schlesinger 606). The author's thesis is obvious throughout the book, and he makes his points clearly and effectively. The book is a detailed look into a part of our history that is not often discussed in detail. The Revolution clearly occurred for a variety of reasons, but economic sanctions played a major role in many of the Colonists' dissatisfaction with England, and the author details the problems, attempted solutions, and final outcome with great understanding, patience, and specific research.