Cincinnati in 1840 : the social and functional organization of an urban community during the pre-Civil War period / Walter Stix Glazer ; foreword by Carl Abbott ; afterword by John D. Fairfield.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Glazer, Walter.

Series:

Urban life and urban landscape series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

City and town life.

History.

Cincinnati (Ohio)--History--19th century.

Cincinnati (Ohio).

Cincinnati (Ohio)--Social conditions--19th century.

Cincinnati (Ohio)--Population--History--19th century.

City and town life--Ohio--Cincinnati--History--19th century.

Ohio--Cincinnati.

Physical Description:

xxii, 184 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

Cincinnati in eighteen-forty

Place of Publication:

Columbus : Ohio State University Press, [1999]

Summary:

During the pre-Civil War period, Cincinnati was the fastest growing and, according to many contemporary observers, most interesting city in America. This classic study, completed in the early 1970s, focusses on the community in 1840 to explain its success but also to suggest some broader patterns in the city's development and American urbanization.

Using local census records, city directories, Walter Stix Glazer describes the demographic, social, economic, and political structure of the adult white male population in 1840 and then develops a unified model of its social and functional organizations. This analysis (based on computerized records of thousands of Cincinnatians) also documents some broader trends between 1820 and 1860: the volatility of Cincinnati's labor force, the career patterns of its homeowners, and the leadership of a small group of successful citizens active in a broad range of voluntary associations.

This statistical analysis is complemented with sections of traditional historical narrative and biographical profiles that illustrate the general themes of the book. Glazer argues that Cincinnati's success up to 1840 was due to a unified booster vision and a cohesive community elite that gradually broke down, as a result of ethnic and economic division, over the next twenty years. This story has broader implications in terms of the character of Jacksonian democracy and American urbanization.

Contents:

Introduction: The Jacksonian Urban Community 1

1 The Spirit of the Times: Ideology 23

2 Character and Composition: Demography 44

3 The Masses and the Classes: Social Structure 79

4 Participation and Power: Leadership 123.

Notes:

Originally presented as the author's dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of Cincinnati, 1974.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 161-181) and index.

ISBN:

0814208282

0814250300

OCLC:

40964885