Description
Book SynopsisHow manufacturing textiles and guns transformed the United States from colonial dependent to military power. In 1783, the Revolutionary War drew to a close, but America was still threatened by enemies at home and abroad. The emerging nation faced tax rebellions, Indian warfare, and hostilities with France and England. Its arsenala collection of hand-me-down and beat-up firearmswas woefully inadequate, and its manufacturing sector was weak. In an era when armies literally froze in the field, military preparedness depended on blankets and jackets, the importation of which the British Empire had coordinated for over 200 years. Without a ready supply of guns, the new nation could not defend itself; without its own textiles, it was at the economic mercy of the British. Domestic industry offered the best solution for true economic and military independence. In Manufacturing Advantage, Lindsay Schakenbach Regele shows how the US government promoted the industrial development of textiles and
Trade ReviewAn original and fascinating book that rewards the reader with discerning insights into the genesis of American industry . . . The author writes with verve and a captivating command of nuance, insight, breadth and in-depth analysis . . . In sum, both historians and economists would benefit from closely engaging with the arguments in this fine addition to the bookshelf on the early sources of American industrial supremacy.
—B. Zorina Khan, Bowdoin College,
EH.NetManufacturing Advantage is an important addition to the field of policy history and an equally important contribution to scholarship in several other historical disciplines, including business history, history of technology, and military history. Her analytical framework of "national security capitalism" offers an important new perspective for scholars in the above fields.
—Vagel C. Keller,
Pennsylvania HistoryTable of ContentsSeries Editor's Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. "Our Naked Troops"
Chapter 2. The Political Economy of Guns and Textiles
Chapter 3. Embargo and War
Chapter 4. Financing Industry through Florida
Chapter 5. Managing New Markets
Chapter 6. Industrial Manifest Destiny
Conclusion
Appendix A. Terms Related to Textiles
Appendix B. Terms Related to Firearms
Notes
