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Work and Labor in Early America (Paperback, New edition)
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Work and Labor in Early America (Paperback, New edition)
Series: Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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Ten leading scholars of early American social history here examine
the nature of work and labor in America from 1614 to 1820. The
authors scrutinize work diaries, private and public records, and
travelers' accounts. Subjects include farmers, farmwives, urban
laborers, plantation slave workers, midwives, and sailors; locales
range from Maine to the Caribbean and the high seas.
These essays recover the regimen that consumed the waking hours of
most adults in the New World, defined their economic lives, and
shaped their larger existence. Focusing on individuals as well as
groups, the authors emphasize the choices that, over time, might
lead to prosperity or to the poorhouse. Few people enjoyed
sinecures, and every day brought new risks.
Stephen Innes introduces the collection by elucidating the
prophetic vision of Captain John Smith: that the New World offered
abundant reward for one's "owne industrie." Several motifs stand
out in the essays. Family labor has begun to assume greater
prominence, both as a collective work unit and as a collective
economic unit whose members worked independently. Of growing
interest to contemporary scholars is the role of family size and
sex ratio in determining economic decision, and vice ersa. Work
patterns appear to have been driven by the goal of creating surplus
production for markets; perhaps because of a desire for higher
consumption, work patterns began to intensify throughout the
eighteenth century and led to longer work days with fewer slack
periods. Overall, labor relations showed no consistent evolution
but remained fluid and flexible in the face of changing market
demands in highly diverse environments. The authors address as well
the larger questions of American development and indicate the
directions that research in this expanding field might
follow.
General
Imprint: |
The University of North Carolina Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia |
Release date: |
December 1988 |
First published: |
December 1988 |
Editors: |
Stephen Innes
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Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
308 |
Edition: |
New edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8078-4236-2 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
American history >
General
Books >
History >
American history >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8078-4236-2 |
Barcode: |
9780807842362 |
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