Social and Economic
The U.S. Population Shift Begins
Great Britain also restricted emigration between 1800 and 1820 because it was locked into a life and death struggle with France. This prevented English citizens from coming to their former colony. Famine and poverty in Ireland drove many to leave the Emerald Isle. The Napoleonic Wars limited shipping to carry passengers, but there were other pressures on citizens all over Europe that encouraged emigration to the United States.
Read MoreBecoming Slaves to King Cotton
By the time the American Revolution ended in 1783, the Industrial Revolution was gathering steam. English inventions in the textile industry were making it cheaper to manufacture linen and wool…
Read MoreAvoiding the Foreign Entanglements Vise
France tried to intimidate the U.S. to join its fight against Britain. England appealed to U.S. merchants desire for profits. The 1794 Jay Treaty was a bet that England would prevail in any fight against France.
Read MoreOrigins of the U.S. Post Office
My bet there’s not one of you who have not cursed the U.S. Postal Service whether you are standing in line. Or, when the cost of postage went up. Or…
Read MoreColonialism and Lord Shelburne’s Vision for the New Country
Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown occurred in October 1781. Four British Prime Ministers (North, Rockingham, Shelburne and Cavendish) and 23 months later, the nascent United States and the Great Britain agreed…
Read MoreBog Iron – Beginnings of the U.S. Steel Industry
When one thinks of the U.S. steel industry, images of large vats of molten iron ore in huge plants comes to mind. It didn’t start out that way. Colonists needed…
Read MoreChocolate – Rations and Currency
Way back in the cold winter of 1667, Boston candy maker John Hull lamented that a shipwreck cost him the revenue from the cocoa beans that he had shipped to…
Read MoreThe Origin of the U.S. Dollar
In the 18th Century, there weren’t official exchange rates for currencies. Before and during the American Revolution, in the Thirteen Colonies there were at least 17, that’s right, 17 different…
Read MoreNot Worth a Continental
Before the Battle of Lexington and Concord, currency (paper money) and specie (coins) were regulated by the British Parliament. In 1751, 1764 and as late as 1773, British Currency Acts…
Read MoreTwo Proclamations With Unintended Results
When the American Revolution began, the British knew that to win, they had to disrupt the economy of the Thirteen Colonies which was heavily dependent on exports – lumber, dried…
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