Three Consuls : Capitalism, Empire, and the Rise and Fall of America's Mediterranean Community, 1776-1840 / Lawrence A. Peskin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Peskin, Lawrence A., 1966- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Consuls--United States--Biography.

Consuls.

United States--Foreign relations--To 1865.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 327 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, England : Cambridge University Press, [2024]

Summary:

For two generations after independence, Americans viewed the Mediterranean as the new commercial frontier. From common sailors to wealthy merchants, hundreds of Americans flocked to live and work there. Documenting the eventful lives of three American consuls and their families at the ports of Tangier, Livorno, and Alicante, Lawrence A. Peskin portrays the rise and fall of America's Mediterranean community from 1776 to 1840. We learn how three ordinary merchants became American consuls; how they created flourishing communities; built social and business networks; and interacted with Jews, Muslims, and Catholics. When the bubble burst during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, American communities across the Mediterranean rapidly declined, resulting in the demise of the consuls' fortunes and health. A unique look into early American diplomacy, Three Consuls provides a much-needed overview of early consular service that highlights the importance of US activities in the Mediterranean region

Contents:

Becoming American (and) consuls

James Simpson : isolation and diplomacy in Gibraltar and Tangier

Robert Montgomery : multiple identities in Alicante

Thomas Appleton : community and conflict in Livorno's American community

The American social network and national identity

Business networks and the problem of self interest

Contact with "others" : race, chauvinism and the notion of empire

The long decline

Selling empire

Death and dismemberment

Epilogue : Latin America and the turn toward empire

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 28 Oct 2024).

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781009444637

1009444638

9781009444644

1009444646

9781009444606

1009444603