In light of failure: Bankruptcy, insolvency and financial failure in New York City, 1790-1860.
Item
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Title
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In light of failure: Bankruptcy, insolvency and financial failure in New York City, 1790-1860.
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Identifier
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AAI9224798
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identifier
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9224798
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Creator
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Ciment, James.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Carol Berkin
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Date
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1992
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, United States | Economics, History
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Abstract
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This study examines both the experience of and attitudes toward financial failure, insolvency and bankruptcy among New Yorkers of all classes during the years 1790 to 1860. During those years, tens of thousands experienced failure, while thousands went to debtors' jail.;Understanding the experiences of and attitudes toward financial failure requires an examination of the changing role of credit in New York's economy and society. At the turn of the 19th century, financial failure was less extensive, but more broadly distributed among various classes of New Yorkers, with both merchants and artisans going to jail.;Financial failure was less common because credit was more constricted. In the early years of the 19th century, most credit was utilized by merchants in the facilitation of trade. Excessive debt was frowned upon and those who did not meet their financial obligations were seen as moral recreants and even criminals. Hence, the ubiquity of the debtor jail experience.;With expansion of credit and its use in long-term financial investment and speculation, more merchants became caught up in debt and many failed. This changed attitudes about those who failed financially. No longer were they seen as immoral, but rather as victims of market forces beyond their control.;At the same time, the increasing commercialization of production in New York--in the form of factories and sweat shops--saw a decrease in the number of independent artisans. While artisans rarely had access to substantial credit, their diminishing numbers increasingly removed them from the credit marketplace.;Increasingly, commercial debt was seen as a mercantile phenomenon. The liberalization of mercantile attitudes about unpaid debt reflected this. Imprisonment for debt was ended--though this resulted from an alliance between mercantile reformers and artisan politicians.;Yet, while attitudes about insolvency were becoming liberalized, attitudes about poverty were becoming more strict. The increasing stratification of class in antebellum New York created a climate in which the failing merchant was seen as a victim and deserving of another chance, while the impoverished worker was viewed as morally deficient and deserving of the harshest regimen society might offer.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
