Navigating failure : bankruptcy and commercial society in Antebellum America / Edward J. Balleisen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Balleisen, Edward J.

Series:

Luther Hartwell Hodges series on business, society, and the state.

The Luther Hartwell Hodges series on business, society, and the state

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bankruptcy--United States--History--19th century.

Bankruptcy.

Social mobility--United States--History--19th century.

Social mobility.

United States--Economic conditions--To 1865.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (340 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, c2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The ""self-made"" man is a familiar figure in nineteenth-century American history. But the relentless expansion of market relations that facilitated such stories of commercial success also ensured that individual bankruptcy would become a prominent feature in the nation's economic landscape. In this ambitious foray into the shifting character of American capitalism, Edward Balleisen explores the economic roots and social meanings of bankruptcy, assessing the impact of widespread insolvency on the evolution of American law, business culture, and commercial society.Balleisen makes innova

Contents:

Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Part 1; 1. Perils of the Credit System; 2. Guises of Financial Vulnerability; Part 2; 3. Dilemmas of Failure; 4. American Jubilee; 5. The Art of Wrecking; Part 3; 6. Fresh Starts; 7. Return to Proprietorship; 8. Sidestepping the Credit System; Epilogue; Notes on Research Method; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-309) and index.

ISBN:

9798890870667

9780807875506

0807875503

OCLC:

52234425