American Capitalism: 1600-1900

3 Credits

This course explores the transformation of economic life in what became the United States from pre-colonial times to 1900, with special emphasis on economic interactions among Native American, Mexican, and European societies; how and why capitalism took root and became dominant; economic dimensions of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars; why the North, South, and West followed distinct economic paths; the revolutions in transportation and communications; slavery as a business system; causes and consequences of industrialization; and trends in the distribution of wealth and income.