Date of Award:
5-2013
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
History
Committee Chair(s)
Kyle Bulthuis
Committee
Kyle Bulthuis
Abstract
The following research explores the development of financial culture in the early American republic through the examination of New York's use of debtors' prisons. Beginning with the construction of the historical context surrounding the passage and abolition of the National Bankruptcy Act of 1800, the project takes use of a series of archival sources that exemplify the character of credit in early American economic practices. The emergence of republican financial culture was often at odds with federal judicial and legislative action, the result of which was the creation of state policy and third party organizations dedicated to solving the plight of a growing debtor population. As the narrative of debt transitioned from understanding the debtor as a villain towards a victim, traditional criminal punishments no longer represented cultural values. One such institution scrutinized and debated was the debtors' Gaol.
Checksum
3516ab13822ca20e7f3a5fb2a7e09eaf
Recommended Citation
Braeger, Ryan M., "American Debtors' Prison: The Rise of the New York Citizen as a Commercial Participant during the Early American Republic, 1800-1836" (2013). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 1977.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1977
Additional Files
preliminary_pages.pdf (174 kB)Preliminary Pages
appendicies.pdf (558 kB)
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