The Rise of American Capitalism

Undergraduate

Capitalism’s triumph today is so undeniable, so encompassing of the entire globe, so impossible to imagine coming to a close, that it is difficult to conceptualize it as a historically contingent system, as one path among the many people could have chosen. In fact, capitalism’s embrace was far from unanimous. Many pursued other paths – and pursue them today – only to find the obstructions of capitalist power thus far insurmountable. Perhaps no other nation than the United States can take greater credit for capitalism’s rise and enduring domination. But when did the United States become capitalist? To answer this question, we have to decide what we mean by “capitalism.” And to do that, we have to think of it as a historical process – one with a beginning and, presumably, an end – rather than a static and universal category. In this advanced lecture course, we follow the entwined biographies of capitalism and the United States, starting in the centuries before the United States existed and ending with the age of industrial consolidation, when most histories of American capitalism begin. Our aim is to parse out key attributes of the early American economy – ways of working, owning, owing, and trading – and recognize moments of transition, crisis, and renewal that can sharpen our understanding of capitalism today. Enrollment limited to first-year students. WR , HU 0 Course cr MW 2:35pm-3:50pm